The 2016 election cycle was decided by 78000 ballots cast in three states. According to her own campaign, Hillary Clinton ignored Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan which had the voters deciding the Electoral College victory in favor of Donald Trump.
The reason behind “the why” was and is the presence of the traditionally Blue Serbian-American vote that coalesced spontaneously around a never-Clinton vote. Hillary’s notable absence from these states was a purposeful ducking of hard political questions and protests about her role escalating the Balkan war and ignoring the issues that spun a sure victory into the defeat heard round’ the world.
Trump’s victories in those 3 crucial states was decided inside the margin Serbian-American pro-Trump voters provided tipping the election scale and writing election history.
Joe Biden tried to remedy this by having the DNC Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to energize the vote and weaken the impact of this decidedly Blue pro-Trump 2020 vote. And it seems to be no surprise that Antifa-BLM riots began in the swing states to support the Biden campaign. How hard are the rioters disrupting 2020 in these key cities?
I contacted Dr. Olgica Ravassi, the founder and Director of Serbs for Trump 2020 about these points and to see if she expected the same turnout and outcome in the contested states.
Dr. Ravassi is a special advisor on Balkans Foreign Policy and Security at Interport Police, on the advisory board at Crime Stoppers Global Solutions, a former foreign policy analysis, subject matter expert at Contingent Security Services, and a former professor at Oakton Community College in Illinois.
GE-Dr. Ravassi, thank you for taking the time for this interview. During the 2016 election cycle, I saw that Serbian-American voters in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Florida were going to play a pivotal role in the election. What issues prompted these traditionally blue voters to support Donald Trump instead?
Dr. O. Ravassi- Yes, there were indications that specific districts in the states you mentioned, also including Pennsylvania, where there is a significant Serbian population, tipped the scale primarily against Hillary Clinton and for then candidate Trump. She was an incredibly unpopular candidate overall, a poor choice for the Democrats, but especially a horrible candidate for the Serbs to even consider given her history. Serbs are generally not one-issue voters, they certainly view candidates in their overall offering, but specific political names have terrible anti-Serbian bias and open hatred towards all things Serbian ever since the 1990s. Hillary was certainly one of those war hungry hawks, but so is Joe Biden; swamp creatures of the deep state that caused the Serbs a lot of suffering over the past few decades. That is certainly something that the Serbs cannot forget, given their prominence, historical friendship and alliance with the United States, and great contributions Serbian-Americans have made towards the very fabric of American society. They recognized a leader in President Trump, and are supporting him regardless of the traditional Republican/Democrat affiliations.
GE-Earlier this year, I contacted you after you started Serbs for Trump 2020. Unlike other Diasporas, the Serbian-American population has never really organized politically until you began this. Tell us how your effort began. How effective has the campaign been?
Dr. O. Ravassi- Yes, that is true, Serbian Diaspora has been in a state of political apathy for a long time now, and I felt that this was a crucial moment in history to change that. American Serbs voted for President Trump more spontaneously in 2016, and I wanted it to be organized and deliberate this time around. This election is about so much more; it may be the most important election of our lives… History is being determined, what kind of a country we are going to have, and ultimately even what kind of a world we are all going to live in. There are many dark forces working against all of us, and I felt that now is the time to take a resolute stand.
It was a grassroots movement idea that launched on August 3, to countdown 12 weeks to the election. The campaign has been incredibly positive, we are so pleased how our Diaspora came together, and how relevant it is to recognize the role of grassroots civic activism. After only a couple of weeks, and through the contacts I had, we were recognized as the official coalition partner in the Presidential campaign, which is history making for us. We have never organized in such a way to support any candidate, let alone Presidential, nor have we ever been recognized as a relevant voting block that can impact the election. Serbs for Trump 2020 initiative changed all that, and I am confident that we will remain proactive and engaged in the future.
GE- What are the pressing issues that drive these voters in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Florida for 2020?
Dr. O. Ravassi- I would say key states for us now are WI, MI, PA, and FL to a certain degree… but especially in the blue collar states, Serbian-Americans are concerned about all the things that all Americans are concerned about, and that President Trump promised and delivered upon. Low unemployment, low taxes, elimination of bureaucratic regulations that stifle economic mobility, law and order, control of our borders, traditional family values and religious liberties. Of course, we do look at the candidates through the prism of their foreign policy, and certainly President Trump is a man of peace, of diplomacy, of deal making, and economic cooperation. He does not serve the military-industrial complex, but serves the American people…. He has strengthened our military, but is bringing the troops home, recognizing that disastrous and costly wars have had a terrible impact on our great country.
GE- Dr Ravassi, how big a part do you see the Serbian-American voters playing in swing state voting during this election cycle?
Dr. O. Ravassi- We are active and have teams on the ground in every state where there is a significant Serbian Diaspora, not only in swing states such as WI, MI, and PA, but in FL, AZ, CA, NV, NC, IL, all across the nation… even in very blue states. In traditionally very blue states we work alongside local candidates, who are running in communities where Serbs live. Swing states of course are of utmost relevance as few thousand votes can determine the result. That is why we have been working closely with the campaign, and am proud to say also with Ambassador Richard Grenell, campaigning with him, and having him meet with the Serbian-Americans and speak to them on the campaign trail. We truly can impact this election in a historic way, and we are even letting the Democrat opponents know that we are a force to be reckoned with. President Trump and Ambassador Grenell have opened the door for us, the door that has been closed for years, and not only do we appreciate that in a superficial way, but we value their creative and unique approach to the issues that concern us, frozen issues that swamp politicians had no solutions for. We need to give President Trump four more years to finish the job he started; he works hard for us, now we want to work for him.
GE -Do Serb-Americans support Antifa-BLM violence and riots going on in their cities?
Dr. O. Ravassi- Absolutely not, and most Serbs live in these big cities. They have experienced this mob rule and wrath of these radicals… and not only here…. Let us remember that the Serbs in fact have been the first victims of this type of radical regressive left, we have experienced colored revolution, regime change, interventions and meddling… we know what that looks like, and we are seeing the same blueprint, the same scenario unraveling in front of our eyes. We have lost everything once, and escaped it, we cannot afford to do it again. President Trump is under the vicious attack by the same forces that played a role in destroying our nations. The same people are behind it, using highly charged and intense rhetoric that emotionally manipulates the masses to respond violently. They have brought the colored revolution and regime change template home. We will not stand for it!
GE-Is Antifa-BLM violence having a negative impact on election 2020 voter’s willingness to go out in these swing-states because of the riots?
Dr. O. Ravassi- We have advocated to our voters to go out and vote early, to make sure they do not get into the potentially charged situations on Election Day. However the violence is in fact increasing the desire to go out and vote because people are tired of the chaos, and this is not going to end well for the Democrats, I think the strategy is already counterproductive as people started waking up to realize that all this is directly sponsored by the Democrats, and they are using violence to gain power and to force us to vote the way they want. It is all about control and totalitarian power trip they want to have over us.
GE-Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Dr. O. Ravassi- We need four more years for President Trump to finish the job he started, to consolidate his power across agencies that have been hijacked and are working against him and the American people. Joe Biden belongs to the deep state swamp, and after 47 years he is an empty vessel for the radical leftist agenda.
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