Larry D. Lauer

Putin’s dream of empire could very easily become his worst nightmare…

He must have thought he could overrun Ukraine in a day or two.

He clearly underestimated the willingness of the Ukrainian people to stand their ground.

Reports are that many in Putin’s army look confused and uncertain about what they are doing.

Many of his tanks are running out of gas… an indication of inadequate training.

He might try to intensify his assaults… but sanctions, world support, and resistance will only increase.

NATO and EU support has become more unified and focused every day.

Many other countries around the world have also pledged their support.

Putin’s recent nuclear threats will very likely backfire… and could also cause his own officials to stop him.

Citizen protests in Russian cities are growing… and they could intensify out of fears of a nuclear war.

Putin’s power inside and outside Russia will come to an end… maybe even sooner than many thought.

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Is the political pendulum in Texas swinging once again?

My wife and I moved to Texas in 1966 so that I could begin a teaching career at TCU. By 1974 I had become Director of Continuing Education… and also became TCU’s representative to the state legislature in Austin. I found Democrats in charge there, but I also found bipartisan cooperation. Democrats were liberal in that they were interested in social programs and education reform, but they were also conservative in financial matters.

Gradually, however, the legislative climate changed. My impression was that conservative-leaning Democrats were gradually becoming Republicans, and bipartisan cooperation was beginning to fade away. Soon, redistricting lead to gerrymandering, and gaining and maintaining political control became the objective. Power politics became the name of the political game.

It now seems to me that the political pendulum might be swinging once again! Two thoughts:

1. A large number of people seem to be simply getting tired of power-driven politics. They appear to be rejecting the intense polarization and anger produced by control-driven politicians. They also seem to be accepting that the U.S. is a country of immigrants. Book banning, voter suppression, and “cancel culture” confusion are add to this growing fatigue.

2. New candidates are running against those currently in power. Could they actually be splitting the power-politics vote? Cross your fingers.

Maybe the pendulum is slowly swinging again… possibly away from the small group currently in power and toward meeting the genuine needs of the majority. Such a swing could pave the way for smart people with new and more unifying ideas to find their way back into Texas politics!

!

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Right now Biden must focus on his successes…his handling of Ukraine and NATO, the COVID slow down, passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and improvements in the economy.

In addition, issues messaging must focus specifically on current crises… not past ideas and experiences.

Internal party bickering must stop.

Use of internal and external focus groups will help find and clarify appropriate messages.

These groups will also assist in developing brief “talking points” for staffers and others in the party.

Using both old and new media every day will help reach broader audiences and age groups.

Disciplined use of consistent messaging is needed to stop internal disagreements and external criticism.

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