I am listening to Vladimir Putin -- are you?
He just announced the first mobilization of thousands of extra troops after significant losses to the Ukrainians on the battlefield. He’s also hinting at nuclear options.
He is not stopping. He is not going away.
Here's the stark reality: this situation was enabled and exacerbated by the current Administration’s weak leadership on the global stage.
I spent the last 14 years in the U.S. defense and intelligence community. I was born in Odesa, Ukraine while it was still under the Soviet regime. And all signs are pointing to a threat level beyond what we’ve seen thus far.
Again: this situation did not occur by accident. This is a consequence of failed American leadership in the White House and in Congress.
American voters will face this stark choice in November: will they vote for those who support and follow this Administration and its foreign policy failures? Those who never said a word about accountability for the botched exit from Afghanistan, those who want to get back into the Iran Deal despite its blindingly obvious problems, and those who contributed to the sheer weakness that led to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – they should not stay in office.
Given where I was born, I always reflect on how lucky I am to live in this country. When faced with problems, American citizens have access to a positive solution: voting.
Voters should choose a new crop of leaders who have experience keeping America safe, like I do. For the sake of national security and prosperity, we need change - fast.
Here is the backdrop of the decision that Americans face this fall:
A chyron on a national TV network that reads: “Russia announces immediate ‘partial mobilization’ of citizens, escalating its invasion of Ukraine.”
This is the first mobilization in Russia since World War 2. This is serious. This is new in the modern era. This requires new thinking. This is not the time to give proven failures another chance.
We are watching history unfold in front us and are sitting on the sidelines with no plan of action.
The issue I have heard most about when talking to voters is most certainly costs and inflation, and economic issues are certainly the primary focus of my campaign. But I know that without national security, we can never have economic security, and we are entering a uniquely dangerous moment.
This failure abroad directly and deeply impacts Americans and Northern Virginians. Russian aggression has impacted the global economy while we sit and watch our feckless leaders bumble.
Of course, we are also seeing growing signs of massive internal instability in Russia - a development just as troubling as its outward aggression.
Due to growing anti-war sentiment and the stalemate in Ukraine, Russian citizens are fleeing the country to avoid being recruited to fight a pointless war. Search queries for “how to leave Russia” spiked even higher after Putin’s mobilization announcement.
That’s a recipe for new pressures on Putin, and therefore new responses from Putin in the shadowy world of Russian domestic politics. We cannot predict the outcome, but we have seen how he has responded to domestic problems in the past. His foreign policy, of course, is based on domestic politics – which means his problems become our problems.
And he’s making it clear that he’s planning to increase our problems.
A dictator like Putin only responds to strong opposition. Our current Administration has not shown that strength and the current Congressman from Virginia’s 8th District apparently prefers this failed method of doing the country’s business. He does not have the background, experience, or political affiliations to help keep America safe.
I do.
I served in our defense and intelligence communities for 14 years. I have already been cleared beyond a Top Secret level, so I am ready to pitch in and keep America safe on day one. I also have the personal background of growing up in Soviet-controlled Ukraine to understand the clear and present threat Russia and Putin pose.
Right now, it is the amazing resolve of the Ukrainian people that is keeping Putin at bay, but we cannot count on that.
To those in Northern Virginia, I will bring that same inherent resolve to Congress as your representative. Again - we have access to a positive solution: please vote for change this fall.
Karina Lipsman is the nominee for Virginia's 8th Congressional District. Lipsman’s story is the American Dream. She is a refugee immigrant from Odesa, Ukraine. When she arrived in America, she did not speak English, survived on food stamps, and lived in low-income housing in Baltimore City. She resigned from a 14-year career in the U.S. defense and intelligence community and is now running to continue her service to our country. Visit KarinaforCongress.com to learn more about her.