How is politics in America done?

Since Mr. Putin's Russia is quite conservative, ruling our country, Lithuanian Ex-Communists pretend to be liberal. They courted American liberals, ruled by Biden. Now after Trump's victory, Lithuanian diplomatic corps are lost. Let's help them. How is the work done?

"The Woman Who Knew Everyone

By Meryl Gordon

Grand Central, 496 pages, $34

Washington has known its share of prominent hostesses. As the sociable wife of the nation's fourth president, Dolley Madison brought together the warring members of Congress at her fabled Wednesday evening "drawing rooms." Then there was Alice Roosevelt Longworth -- the strong-willed, sharp-tongued daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and the wife of Nicholas Longworth, speaker of the House. A throw pillow in her living room was embroidered with the words: "If you can't say something good about someone, sit right here by me."

But Dolley and Alice were pikers compared with Perle Mesta, the wealthy widow from Oklahoma who reigned over Washington's social scene from the 1930s until her death in 1975. One of the most recognizable women of her era, she is little known today -- unless you're familiar with Irving Berlin's 1950 Broadway musical "Call Me Madam," which was inspired by Mesta's exuberant personality and her 1949 appointment as U.S. minister to Luxembourg (de facto, the U.S. ambassador). The show's signature lyric refers to the star -- played by Ethel Merman in the original production -- as "the hostess with the mostes' on the ball."

In contemporary lingo, Mesta was the "GOAT" of Washington hostesses -- the Greatest of All Time. Author-journalist Meryl Gordon presents Mesta in delectable detail in "The Woman Who Knew Everyone," a lively and readable biography. Ms. Gordon has also written biographies of the style icon Bunny Mellon and the Manhattan socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor.

The "everyone" of the book's title encompasses presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Richard Nixon, as well as A-listers from other realms. Judy Garland, Wehrner von Braun, Supreme Court justices, and just about every politician and his wife who passed through the capital during her decades in residence showed up at Perle's place. Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson were close friends.

Born "Pearl" Skirvin in 1882, Mesta spent most of her youth in Texas and Oklahoma, where her father amassed a fortune in oil and real estate. Along the way, she changed the spelling of her name to the French "Perle," which she considered a more cosmopolitan rendering. In 1917, she married George Mesta, a Pittsburgh machine-tool magnate. When President Wilson appointed George to a government board during World War I, the Mestas began to spend time in Washington. It was during that period, as Mesta wrote in her 1960 memoir, "that I began to understand how a Washington hostess could be a factor in politics by having the right people at the right time." George died of a heart attack in 1925.

Mesta started off as a Republican supporting Calvin Coolidge before becoming a Democrat during FDR's administration, a switch that earned her the nickname "two-party Perle." She had a rocky relationship with JFK and Jackie, who viewed the 80ish hostess as "old news," Ms. Gordon says. The first lady put Mesta on her personal do-not-invite list. The misleading photo on the book's cover pictures the two women smiling sweetly at each other.

Ms. Gordon portrays Mesta as a friendly, warmhearted woman who treated people of all stations in life with kindness and respect. Above all, she loved politics. "She liked the role of gatekeeper," Ms. Gordon writes, "introducing influential people to one another and feeling she could shape events, at least at the margins."

But she rose to celebrity status in no small part because she went out of her way to cultivate ties with journalists. Her parties usually included members of the working press, who obligingly wrote positive articles about her. (She kept track.) Her annual shindig for female reporters was designed to give them the chance to hobnob with the political elite of Washington from whom they often were excluded because of their sex. According to Ms. Gordon, the database newspaperarchive.com offers up more than 98,000 references to Mesta between the 1920s and her death roughly 50 years later.

Not all of the coverage was favorable. In keeping with the sexism of the era, reporters focused inordinately on Mesta's age, which she wouldn't reveal, and her weight, which fluctuated. Somehow it was news when a slimmed-down Mesta appeared in public wearing a size-10 dress. At the time of her death, Ms. Gordon reports, no obituary got her age (92) right.

When President Truman named Mesta as the U.S. representative to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the intellectual snobs in the State Department were vicious in their attacks. Sen. Owen Brewster, a Maine Republican, rose to her defense: "She is neither senile nor a dipsomaniac, which is more than you can say for some of the members of the diplomatic corps." The Luxembourgians, for their part, adored her. Mesta accomplished exactly what Truman had wanted her to do: She enhanced America's reputation and built goodwill in a country that had been traumatized by war.

While Mesta's lavish parties put her on the map, she had a serious side too. Beginning in the 1930s, she was a passionate supporter and energetic worker on behalf of a proposed Equal Rights Amendment. She was a major Democratic fundraiser. She was a popular columnist for the New York Herald Tribune. She was a faithful Christian Scientist. By the end of her life, Ms. Gordon writes, she was "part of the national cultural firmament."

In her later years, Mesta told a reporter that Harry Truman "taught me everything I know. He told me never to be afraid to put people together who disagree. 'Get them together for a party. They'll be friends before you know it.' " Now there's a prescription for our own disagreeable political culture: Let's party!” [1]

1.  Her Glamorous Guest Lists. Kirkpatrick, Melanie.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 Jan 2025: A15.

Atrodo, kad Bidenas paliko Trumpui daug sunkaus darbo: Putinas ir Xi žada glaudesnius ryšius, siekdami pertvarkyti pasaulio tvarką --- Rusijos ir Kinijos lyderiai žada daugiau bendradarbiauti JAV spaudimo akivaizdoje

 „Vieną dieną po to, kai prezidentas Trumpas savo inauguracijos metu pažadėjo būti „taikdariu ir vienytoju“, du galingiausi JAV konkurentai sutiko glaudžiau dirbti, kad būtų pakeista pasaulio tvarka, kuri, jų nuomone, sukasi aplink Vakarus.

 

 Antradienį surengtame vaizdo pokalbyje Rusijos prezidentas Vladimiras Putinas ir Kinijos lyderis Xi Jinpingas pažadėjo dirbti kartu, o tai gali būti pirmasis požymis apie naują gilėjančios konfrontacijos su Vašingtonu etapą.

 

 Nė viena pusė nepaminėjo JAV prezidento pareiškimuose, paskelbtuose po skambučio. Tačiau pasaulinis dėmesys sutelktas į D. Trumpo grįžimą į pareigas ir gausybę jo pasirašytų vykdomųjų įsakymų, todėl Pekinas ir Maskva aiškiai pasakė, kad vis dar skaito iš to paties puslapio, kad ir kas vyksta Vašingtone.

 

 Kremlius užtikrino, kad niekas nepraleistų detalių.

 

 Neįprastu žingsniu jis savo tinklalapyje paskelbė filmuotą medžiagą iš pokalbio, kuriame matoma, kaip Putinas ir Xi nuoširdžiai sveikinasi, vadina vienas kitą „brangiu draugu“ ir trumpai pareiškia apie jų stiprėjančius ryšius trumpame pokalbio, kuris, Rusijos teigimu, truko ilgiau, nei 90 minučių, įraše.

 

 „Abi šalys turėtų ir toliau gilinti strateginį koordinavimą, tvirtai remti viena kitą ir ginti abiejų šalių teisėtus interesus“, – sakė Xi, remiantis Kinijos pranešimu. Putinas sakė, kad egzistuoja „požiūrių suderinimas, koks turėtų būti didžiųjų valstybių santykiuose“.

 

 Vyresnysis Putino patarėjas Jurijus Ušakovas sakė, kad abu lyderiai kalbėjosi apie taikos susitarimo Ukrainoje būtinybę ir aptarė situaciją Artimuosiuose Rytuose, pranešė Rusijos valstybinė žiniasklaida. Putinas pabrėžė Rusijos paramą Kinijai, sprendžiant Taivano klausimą, sakė Ušakovas. Jis sakė, kad skambutis buvo suplanuotas iš anksto ir nesusijęs su D. Trumpo inauguracija.

 

 Likus kelioms dienoms iki 2022 m. vasario mėn., kai tūkstančiai Rusijos karių įžengė į Ukrainą, kaip didžiulių pajėgų dalis, Rusija ir Kinija paskelbė „be ribų“ partnerystę. Nuo tada jie pagilino ryšius, siekdami kelti iššūkį JAV įtakai pasaulyje. Xi ir Putinas pernai susitiko tris kartus, o jų vyriausybių pareigūnai važinėjo tarp dviejų šalių.

 

 Kinija yra didžiausia Rusijos prekybos partnerė, o Maskvos sugebėjimas atlaikyti Vakarų ekonominių sankcijų antplūdį pastaraisiais metais labai priklauso nuo jos besiplečiančios prekybos su Pekinu. Kinija remia Rusijos ekonomiką, pirkdama naftą ir tiekdama jai viską – nuo ​​skalbimo mašinų iki mikroelektronikos, kuri gali būti itin svarbi, gaminant ginklus.

 

 Pernai prekyba pasiekė rekordinį 240 mlrd. dolerių.

 

 Praėjusių metų pabaigoje JAV įvestos naujos bankų sankcijos atskleidė Rusijos ekonomikos pažeidžiamumą, nepaisant jos tvirto atsako į pastarojo meto spaudimą, rublio kursas nukrito iki žemiausio lygio nuo pirmųjų konflikto Ukrainoje dienų.

 

 Pekinui Rusija siūlo labai svarbių pamokų, kaip galima apeiti Vakarų sankcijas.

 

 JAV apkaltino Kiniją, tiekiant Rusijai dvejopo naudojimo prekes.

 

 Pekinas diplomatiškai palaikė Rusiją dėl Ukrainos, kaltindamas JAV, kurstant konfliktą ginklų tiekimu Kijevui.” [1]

1. World News: Putin and Xi Pledge Deeper Ties In a Bid to Reshape World Order --- Leaders of Russia, China promise more cooperation in the face of U.S. pressure. Luxmoore, Matthew.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 Jan 2025: A9.

It seems Biden has left Trump with a lot of hard work: Putin and Xi Pledge Deeper Ties In a Bid to Reshape World Order --- Leaders of Russia, China promise more cooperation in the face of U.S. pressure

"One day after President Trump pledged at his inauguration to be a "peacemaker and unifier," the U.S.'s two most powerful adversaries agreed to work more closely on overhauling a world order they see as orbiting around the West.

In a video call on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised to work hand-in-hand, in what could prove to be the first indication of a new phase in their deepening confrontation with Washington.

Neither side mentioned the U.S. president in statements released after the call. But with global attention focused on Trump's return to office and the flurry of executive orders he has signed, Beijing and Moscow made clear they are still reading from the same page, whatever is happening in Washington.

The Kremlin ensured nobody missed the point.

In an unusual move, it published footage from the conversation on its website, showing Putin and Xi exchanging cordial greetings, calling each other "dear friend," and issuing brief statements about their growing ties in a short clip from a call Russia said lasted more than 90 minutes.

"Both sides should continue to deepen strategic coordination, firmly support one another, and safeguard both countries' legitimate interests," Xi said, according to a readout by the Chinese side. Putin said there was an "alignment of views on how relations between great powers should be."

Yury Ushakov, a senior adviser to Putin, said the two leaders talked about the need for a peace deal in Ukraine and discussed the situation in the Middle East, Russian state media reported. Putin stressed Russia's support for China over the question of Taiwan, Ushakov said. He said the call was planned in advance and not tied to Trump's inauguration.

Days before thousands of Russian troops crossed into Ukraine as part of a massive force in February 2022, Russia and China declared a "no limits" partnership. They have since deepened ties, aligning on the goal of challenging the U.S.'s influence in the world. Xi and Putin met three times last year, and officials from their governments have shuttled between the two countries.

China is Russia's biggest trading partner, and Moscow's ability to weather a barrage of Western economic sanctions in recent years owes much to its expanding trade with Beijing. China has been supporting Russia's economy by buying its oil and supplying it with everything from washing machines to microelectronics, which can be crucial in the production of weapons.

Trade reached a record $240 billion last year, fueled by Russian oil sales.

New banking sanctions imposed by the U.S. late last year exposed the vulnerability of Russia's economy despite its robust response to recent pressure, plunging the ruble to its lowest level since the early days of the conflict in Ukraine.

For Beijing, Russia offers crucial lessons on how Western sanctions can be circumvented.

The U.S. has accused China of providing Russia with dual-use goods.

Beijing has backed Russia diplomatically over Ukraine, accusing the U.S. of stoking the conflict with weapons supplies to Kyiv." [1]

1. World News: Putin and Xi Pledge Deeper Ties In a Bid to Reshape World Order --- Leaders of Russia, China promise more cooperation in the face of U.S. pressure. Luxmoore, Matthew.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 Jan 2025: A9.