Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive on Capitol Hill to a darker mood than when he swooped in last winter for a hero’s welcome, as the Russian invasion is grinding into a third year and U.S. funding hangs in balance.
Zelenskyy’s visit Tuesday comes as President Joe Biden’s request for an additional $110 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs is at serious risk of collapse in Congress. Republicans are insisting on strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry as draconian in exchange for the overseas aid.
“It is maddening,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a close ally of Biden, of the stalemate. “A very bad message to the world, to the Ukrainian people.”
In this media environment, speeches do not seem to ring out anymore based on how good an orator a person is. I’m afraid that he might need to sound more like Trump than one of the great speakers to get people’s attention.
Good oration requires an emotional approach and some poetry. The analytical skills necessary to thrive in the modern world have largely replaced these, and very rational people don’t overly care for emotional arguments. Honestly, we just don’t get good oration anymore, Trump’s hyper-nationalistic approach is just the closest we get. Because he’s not a particularly analytical guy.
Zelensky has the skillset to pull it off though, where 99% of them simply lack the skills.
Y’know, Lincoln could’ve said “87”, but he went with “four score and seven” because it sounds cool. Today most would just say “87”. The poetry is lacking.