No, that isn’t the slap I’m talking about, although, wow, I was not expecting that to happen last night during the Academy Awards! I’m not going to get into that, except to say I wish it hadn’t happened.

No, the slap I’m referring to is one I am very much in favor of – the way the international community has joined together to slap Vladimir Putin and his billionaire oligarchs around.  If it weren’t for the suffering of the Ukrainian people that forced us to do this, I’d be loving every moment of this geopolitical pile-on.  

In ports all over the world, billionaire Russian oligarchs – and there are a lot of them – are playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek against international law enforcement with their luxury yachts, private jets, and other extravagant toys.

Vladimir Putin himself is trying to keep his $700 million yacht from being seized as I write this – it was in Italy getting upgrades and improvements, but the Russian FSB agents babysitting it fled in the middle of the night after opposition leader Alexei Navalny leaked their identities online, replaced in the morning by a new all-British crew.

The reason why this is important is because the sanctions are hitting Putin where it hurts, and the tide is turning in Russia – and not in his favor.

As Navalny released the photos and identities of Putin’s yacht crew, he echoed the thoughts of many ordinary Russians when he said the yacht “is literally made from unbuilt Russian hospitals, collapsing schools, parents dying before their retirement age. Putin promised to explore deep space, develop Russian industry and build a strong innovative economy, but built himself [the yacht] instead.”

Putin is the one who has been screwing the people of Russia over from the beginning, and he continues to screw them over. The Russian people need to know who’s really causing their suffering, and be reminded of it daily.

Remember, the international community, led by the U.S., didn’t want to impose sanctions that would increase the suffering of the Russian people under Putin, it was Putin who left us with no choice.

The Russian people don’t need to live like this – our problem has never been with them. Our problem is with Putin and the people he has surrounded himself with, who have robbed the Russian people of trillions of dollars. That is the truth, and that is the message we need to be sending them over and over again.

The good news is, between the sanctions and the mounting losses on his army’s side, Putin is clearly faltering in his resolve – suddenly, he is actively and aggressively trying to end this war. The problem is, he wants to end it on his terms, by forcing President Zelenskyy and the brave people of Ukraine to hand a portion of their country over to his dictatorship. Of course, the Ukrainians don’t want to agree to that – why on Earth would they?

Perhaps Putin didn’t get the memo, but historically speaking, spoils of war are usually awarded to the victors, not the overzealous losers. Putin is asking the Ukrainians to give up their sovereign territory just so he can save face in Russia, and they are telling him to go kick rocks … as they should!

Here at home, we have our own tyrants and wannabe dictators to deal with, and that’s the Republican party. Disgustingly, there are members of the GOP – including sitting members of Congress – that have sided with Putin, not just against Ukraine, but against the United States of America.

If you have not seen the ad that our amazing creative and digital team here at No Dem Left Behind put together exposing “The Party of Putin,” please take a moment to watch it now and let me know what you think.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Our plan is to run this ad on social and local media in key red states and districts where we know Democrats, Republicans and swing voters alike support Ukraine and oppose Putin. This is one of the few issues in our lifetime where public support has been almost unanimous, meaning it’s a once-in-a-generation chance to reach across the aisle and change people’s minds.

If you like the ad, and you want to help us get it out, please chip in what you can. I really do believe this topic is one we can use to flip voters from red to blue. We are all Americans, after all – at the end of the day, we just need to be reminded of it.

Sappers clear the way, Airborne all the way!

--Richard

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