Leland Vittert’s War Notes: Grateful and Thankful

NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight’s 7 p.m. ET show.

“Grateful and thankful.” I learned that saying from my good friend and mentor Thom Sehnert, proprietor at the Smokehouse Market and Annie Gunn’s. They have the best pies and specialty foods in America.

Goals: I’ll never be as talented on the grill as Thom, but I try every day to follow his example as a thoughtful and humble leader.

Thom teaching me about life and food. Yes, we were both younger then.

Everyday I am grateful and thankful to you, my readers and viewers, for your trust and time. There is no greater responsibility.

Fight Inflation

May your holiday be filled with friends, family, football, and good cheer. If the conversation turns to politics, tell them about NewsNation—why you trust us and fight inflation by giving them a subscription to our newsletter. IT’S FREE!!

Speaking of Thanksgiving turkey, be sure to check out my good friend Erick Erickson’s Instagram for some incredible southern recipes and inspiration.

Now onto the news…

Hamas Hostage Swap

The deal is Hamas returning 50 hostages (women and children) for a larger number of Palestinians held by Israel and a four day cease-fire.

The battlefield reality:

Israel gives up tactical momentum.
Hamas will regroup and rearm.
Hamas will steal much of the humanitarian aid let into Gaza under the deal.
Israel knows they will face enormous pressure from Hamas sympathizers and friends in the media not to restart fighting after four days

Watch: My breakdown of the battlefield with Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus of the IDF on the show last night.

Thought bubble: Why do the people that are so worried about the laws of war not care about multiple videos from the IDF showing Hamas using schools, hospitals and mosques?

In a larger sense, the swap only emboldens Iran and Iran-backed groups to take hostages.

The political reality:

Netanyahu needed a domestic political win. The domestic Israeli push to bring hostages home brought overwhelming pressure.
Biden needed a domestic political win with the left wing of his party.
- We predict 💭: this won’t be enough for the pro-Hamas side of the Democratic Party. Their hatred for Israel is deeply rooted in neo-marxist thinking.
- For example:
  - Congressman Jamaal Bowman who, you’ll remember, voted against the resolution to condemn Hamas, went on MSNBC with the bizarre claim he couldn’t go through some checkpoints in the West Bank because he wasn’t Jewish. That is demonstrably untrue, yet Alex Wagner just nods along. If only MSNBC had misinformation or disinformation reporters to fact check such things.

The human reality:

Those 50 coming home underwent unthinkable horror
They spent 50 days as captives of terrorists who roasted babies in ovens. PTSD doesn’t begin to describe the re-entry process.
Some of the kids coming home don’t know Hamas killed their parents.
The deal separates some families, with only kids and wives coming home. Hamas will still hold fathers.
190 remain in that unthinkable horror.

In short: The nightmare is just beginning.

The First Republican since Reconstruction

Charleston, South Carolina, elected its first Republican mayor since reconstruction.

The Post and Courier report that race and crime played a pivotal role in the election.

Charleston is known for its liberal, gay and Black populations.
Recognize the trend: We Americans are frustrated with Biden’s age, the economy, the culture and America’s standing in the world.
This shouldn’t be a shock.
Look forward ➡️: South Carolina plays a key role in both parties’ presidential primaries.
- Republican Candidate Nikki Hayley is from SC and previously served as its governor.
- Representative James Clyburn who saved Biden in the South Carolina primary couldn’t save the Democratic mayor.

Can Democrats count on the Black vote? No, says James Craig in the Detroit news.

Shermichael Singleton and Scott Bolden will debate on the show tonight, answering why young Black voters are unenthusiastic about a president that spends so much time championing racial issues.

Politics is personal. NBC quotes one Black voter in Ohio: “What has (Biden) done for Black people, who were a big reason for him winning?”
Representative Jamaal Bowman says reparations would bring back the Black vote.
Ticket swap: Is Kamala Harris the right person to save Biden with young voters, or does he need a new vice president?

“Mourning in America”

NBC reports only 19% of Americans “feel confident that their children’s lives will be better than their own generation.”

This explains the trend playing out above.

As said earlier, we Americans are frustrated with Biden’s age, the economy, the culture and America’s standing in the world.

Thanksgiving challenge: find something positive to agree about with family and friends around the dinner table.

We still live in the greatest country on earth.
We are the only place where our rights come from God not the government
Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday where we give thanks to the almighty.

Reality check: 19 percent is the worst since the poll started in the 1990s, but we’ve been here before.

Consider former president Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” speech in 1964, telling a story about a Cuban who escaped Fidel Castro’s regime and came to America.
- “‘We don’t know how lucky we are.’ And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.’ And in that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there’s no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.’”

We should be thankful and grateful for America. It’s been through tough times. We will get through this as well.

War Notes will return Monday. Enjoy your holiday.

Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and neccesarily not of NewsNation.