Remember when Republicans supported a strong defense and stood ready to help countries that opposed Russia. Those days are long gone.
The Far Right in the House of Representative is proposing to defund aid to Ukraine. Both DeSantis and Trump say they would limit assistance to Ukraine. While 70 percent of Republicans want Ukraine to win (and what do the other 30% want?), only half support sending military aid.
Last year 57 House Republicans voted against a measure to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. We call those Republicans “surrender monkeys.”
See Karoun Demirjian, “Far-Right Republicans Seek to Defund Ukraine,” New York Times, (July 13, 2023), p. A1, A15.
I have a question about the Green Party - years ago you were pro-Green. What is your take now? And also No Lables.
ReplyDeleteI find the Green Party incredibly annoying ever since it ran Ralp Nader against Al Gore and later, Hillary Clinton. We own Trump's victory in 2016 in part to the Greens. On the other hand, if Greens were permitted to nominate fusion candidates (like the Working People's Party in N.Y. can also nominate Democratic candidates), it might be a different story. I still have all my Green Party principles, and I love what they have done in Germany, but the U.S. has a different kind of political system with its "winner-take-all elections."
ReplyDeleteAs for the No Labels Party, it's the old saw that you can't beat somebody with nobody. It is hard to pin down where the party stands on most issues.
Happy Bastille Day!
I'm almost 50 now, and I think the situation in Ukraine is one that is truly baffling to me on a number of levels.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I don't see how Putin can possibly think he can win Ukraine without losing the last shreds of international support for Russia, making Russia basically a pariah state.
Secondly, I don't understand how Republican members of Congress can flip-flop support for Ukraine without being in Russia's pocket. No conspiracy theorist I, but are that many members of Congress compromised by Russia? If so, that's truly shocking and would be the biggest story of the century, if anybody bothered to look into it.
Third, I don't see a way out the war for either side. Russia could cease hostilities, but that can't happen because it would make Putin look weak and he would have to admit defeat. Ukraine can't remain under siege indefinitely, but Zelensky can't come to the negotiating table because Ukraine would have to make some concessions. Also not possible, because surely everyone knows Russia won't abide by any treaties and will invade again.
It's all a bit of a conundrum. And of course, most horribly, a lot of innocent people are dying while it gets sorted out.