Like Stalin and Churchill dividing up a map of Eastern Europe at the Fourth Moscow Conference in 1944, Democrats and Republicans appear to be haggling over their own "Percentages Agreement" as to whom they view as allies or enemies. For Joe Biden's party, the enemy is clear: Russia. Yet it is in the Dems' unwillingness to confront the arguably more threatening China that President Trump seeks to make political hay.
If the Great Russia Hoax had not unraveled, senior Democrat politicians would have had a perfect foil against which to take the White House in November. But they overreached and are now forced to stick with a metafiction that serves them no purpose in the new political landscape. They picked Russia over China as their enemy of choice and must now face the unenviable task of defending Xi Jinping's regime to the detriment of their own electoral prospects.
Trump's Golden Ticket
A few short years ago, China was a background character ignored by the media. Politicians made fortunes in the Middle Kingdom while all eyes were cast toward Moscow. The ever-more-confident China, however, was not content to stay in the shadows.
Donald Trump chose his enemy because of business. He is an entrepreneur who sees things in terms of dollars and cents, and his America First strategy required a tough approach to intellectual property theft and the rebuilding of U.S. industry. China was only too willing to test its economic clout in this new arena.
The problem for Democrats is that what first seemed like Trumpian hyperbole over Chinese business practices turned out to be a stark reality.
Houston, We Have a Problem
The closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, TX, did not come out of the blue. Just this last week, Chinese hackers have been accused of trying to steal COVID-19 treatment data, a move that could have had serious implications for the health outcomes of millions across the globe.
The State Department ordered the consulate to close "in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information." This order came just one day after police reports of fires within the grounds in which employees are suspected to have been burning masses of documents.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) was quick to give his opinion:
"China's consulate in Houston is not a diplomatic facility. It is the central node of the Communist Party's vast network of spies & influence operations in the United States. Now that building must close & the spies have 72 hours to leave or face arrest. This needed to happen."
Seizing an Advantage
There is little doubt that American voters' feelings on China will play a major role in the upcoming election. Liberty Nation's Military Affairs Correspondent Dave Patterson commented on the situation, saying:
"The growing tension between the U.S. and China actually is a plus for President Trump. He must always portray former Vice President Biden as the pawn of the Chinese. A person whose family benefited from his cozy relationship with Chinese Communist Party leadership and who, during the worst of the spreading China Plague, wanted President Trump to continue to allow infected Chinese entry into the U.S. China is a great power competitor and threat to the U.S."
Chinese money and influence at the heart of government is something U.S. politicians of all stripes would do well to reject. With the economy bouncing back, and Biden and Trump being practically neck and neck in the latest polling, this election may come down to who is most vocal in their willingness to protect American interests.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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