Sunday School 4/24/22: Extra Credit

I dropped by the State of the Union classroom for your Extra Credit this week. Dana Bash hosted, and one of her guests was Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress. She was in Ukraine celebrating Easter with her family.

In addition to spending time with her grandma, she was there supporting the people of Ukraine who are fighting for freedom. She relayed an interesting conversation she had with an American there, who told her

You know, Victoria, these Ukrainians, they're actually more Americans than I thought. They really remind me of Americans, and they really inspire all of us.

Hmm... such an interesting comment, that one.

She said she was glad to see American officials coming to Ukraine, and said she had written Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asking if we could get some of our diplomats back to Lviv. Other countries are starting to return diplomats to Kyiv, and noted that 

 -- in any job, whether it's a political job or diplomatic job, you do take some risks. You need to be smart. But, also, that's a part of your job to do your service. And if you are not on the ground, it's very difficult to do your job. 

Blinken, who was in Ukraine over the weekend with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, announced that our diplomats will start making day trips, to Lviv.

Spartz had harsh words about what's happening with American aid. She's happy to see us providing "more serious support," because it's really needed, but at the same time,

Instead of giving the $3.5 billion to military aid and $10 billion to humanitarian aid, that I haven't even seen it, or actually giving money to organizations like UN, never to be seen anywhere, not really doing the job that they should be doing, we actually need to put more pressure for them to enforce humanitarian corridors, to do more functions for them to negotiate peace.... What's happened with another $10 billion that we provided? Because I haven't seen it on the ground anywhere at all.

On things happening here at home with the Republicans and Kevin McCarthy's 'tape-gate' scandal, Spartz said they need to be working on the serious issues, including the war, and the border. She knows "there's a lot of politics, a lot of drama" but said the Rs are a diverse party with diverse opinions, "which is good." 

...we have debates about issues and ideas. I think it's healthy. So, I think I will let sort it out, politics. But I really want us to figure out how we can find some common ground to work on issues, and even maybe on bipartisan basis, because we do have serious issues.

And when Bash asked if Spartz was bothered by McCarthy's lack of truthfulness on all of this, she said she lots of people try to spin things, and that McCarthy and Trump need to explain "what it was and why it is."

But ultimately, people have different opinions. People change views. That's OK. That's a part of political process, to communicate and have different views and learn about the issues, and maybe change sometimes opinions, and have debate and deliberation. That's very healthy. So, it's not necessarily people maybe not tell the truth, but people can change an opinion based on learning about circumstances.

She also said that she was "very surprised" on January 6th that it took "almost an hour before Nancy Pelosi stopped the session." 

That was surprising for me, because it posed a lot of risk for the members inside and for also our Capitol Police. And we never got an answer to that question. So, hopefully, someday we will.

Bash circled back to Spartz's grandmothers as the interview wrapped up. One's 88, the other 95, so they "lived through the horrors of Hitler and Stalin and now Putin." Spartz said she's worried about them, of course, saying 

 -- honestly, they're really in shock. They couldn't believe, after everything that Ukraine went through, Stalin, World War II -- almost most of my family was killed. My grandma that I met today with, her father, her mother, everyone was shot, because they were helping to lead partisan movement, her father. And, really, Ukrainians, I mean, paid for so much blood to win that war. So, for her, it's, like, unbelievable. But I'm more worried about the young kids that are now getting shelled and killed and raped. They are raping teenage girls. The atrocities that happen in this country, even some men that talk to -- they start crying. I mean, this is so bad. I mean, this is something that -- unbelievable. And world has to help Ukraine to win this war, bring the peace back to Europe, and bring the international order back. That's a responsibility for us. And we need to put more pressure on Russia.

It's hard to imagine being young in Ukraine, or being old there. Or, frankly, being there at all.

And I'm still struck by the comment at the top of the interview, about the American who thought the Ukrainian people "really remind him of Americans." 

• Was that because everyone was standing together, making almost unimaginable sacrifices, to defend their country against an attack that threatens its very existence? 
• To set aside whatever political disagreements they have with each other, to stand united for something, instead of standing divided against each other? 
• To come back to their devastated homes, their demolished cities, even as war rages on, because their love of country and who they are is worth risking being uprooted again if the bombs turn back their way? Is worth risking everything, again? 

I'm not seeing a whole lot of that sentiment in action here in my neck of the woods. We are as divided as ever, and wearing division on our sleeves, hanging up banners to show the world exactly how divided we are. And the people we've elected, and those we're considering electing, aren't doing us any favors, either. How's it look from your vantage point?

Oh - if you are seeing us acting more Ukrainian than American, please let me know when I see you around campus.