What Went Down On Day 1 Of The Impeachment Hearings

I think largely what Kent is betting on is that the American people have a longstanding animus against Russia/USSR. What’s interesting is that some perception of Russia has been made partisan, post-2016, but I do think there’s no harm in laying out the stakes in a way that has a touch of the Cold War to it.

I think that’s right, Galen. One of the challenges today will be to make voters feel like Trump and Giuliani’s behavior is a real threat to American security. Maybe something like the American Revolution allusion is designed to help hammer that home — but I think career diplomats may overestimate the extent to which the average watcher is interested in geopolitical history lessons!

Kent makes an explicit comparison between aid to Ukraine and the aid American colonists received while fighting the British in the American Revolution. A not-so-subtle reminder about Ukraine’s vulnerability and the importance of the security assistance.