No Ukraine Support.

[Rant]

 

They kicked the can! In the 45 Day extension one of the conditions of the bill was not supporting the Ukrainian defense against Russia. Support for the Ukrainians has dwindled among the Republicans.

Opinion  This is what the U.S. is getting by aiding Ukraine
Washington Post
By Max Boot
October 2, 2023

The good news is that Congress, at the last minute, averted a government shutdown, at least for now. The bad news is that billions of dollars of funding for Ukraine were stripped from the continuing resolution as a sop to House Republicans who want to cut off the embattled democracy altogether.

Aid to Ukraine still has the support of roughly two-thirds of both houses — something you can’t say about many other issues — but a dangerous milestone was reached last week when more House Republicans voted against Ukraine aid (117) than voted for it (101). That reflects a broader turn in Republican opinion, with only 39 percent of Republicans saying in a recent CBS News-YouGov poll that the United States should send weapons to Ukraine and 61 percent saying it shouldn’t.

The question is why?

Is it because the Democrats are for it so the Republicans are against it? Is it that simple?

In the process, Russia has lost an estimated 120,000 soldiers and 170,000 to 180,000 have been injured. Russia has also lost an estimated 2,329 tanks, 2,817 infantry fighting vehicles, 2,868 trucks and jeeps, 354 armored personnel carriers, 538 self-propelled artillery vehicles, 310 towed artillery pieces, 92 fixed-wing aircraft and 106 helicopters.

The Russian armed forces have been devastated, thereby reducing the risk to front-line NATO states such as Poland and the Baltic republics that the United States is treaty-bound to protect. And all of that has been accomplished without having to put a single U.S. soldier at risk on the front lines.

The Ukrainians are chewing up the Russians and showing them as a paper tiger with nuclear weapons.

Why are the Republicans against the aid? They say it is because of corruption but like most of their accusations it is not founded on evidence. Or is it because they are in love Putin? Or maybe they dream of having an authoritarian government like him. So I asked Google’s Bard;

Why are the Republicans supporting Putin?

There are a number of reasons why some Republicans support Putin.

Shared authoritarian values. Putin is a strongman leader who has cracked down on dissent and opposition in Russia. This appeals to some Republicans who admire his authoritarian style and believe that it is necessary to maintain order.

• Anti-NATO sentiment. Some Republicans believe that NATO is a threat to American sovereignty and that the United States should withdraw from the alliance. Putin has also expressed opposition to NATO, and this has led some Republicans to see him as a kindred spirit.
• Economic interests. Some Republicans have business ties to Russia or benefit from Russian energy exports. This has led them to be more supportive of Putin, even as he has engaged in aggressive foreign policy.
• Misinformation. Some Republicans have been influenced by Russian disinformation campaigns that portray Putin in a positive light and Ukraine in a negative light. This has led them to develop a distorted view of the war in Ukraine and Putin's role in it.

It is important to note that not all Republicans support Putin. In fact, a majority of Republicans believe that the United States should continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. However, there is a vocal minority of Republicans who have expressed support for Putin, and their views have been amplified by right-wing media outlets.

Here are some specific examples of Republican support for Putin:

• Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Putin, calling him a "strong leader" and a "genius."
• Tucker Carlson, a popular Fox News host, has echoed Trump's praise for Putin and has accused the Biden administration of being too tough on Russia.
• Some Republican lawmakers, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, have also expressed support for Putin.

It is important to be aware of the reasons why some Republicans support Putin, as their views can have a negative impact on US foreign policy.

Do you think Bard got it right?

I think Bard “Hit the nail on its head” they nailed it. The Washington post goes on to write,

By funding Ukraine, we are strengthening transatlantic ties and keeping faith with our closest allies. If we were to cut off Ukraine, that would be an unspeakable betrayal not only of the people of Ukraine but also of all of Europe. Stopping Russian aggression is an existential issue for the entire continent. Cutting off Ukraine would mean that the United States is turning its back on its post-1945 security commitment to Europe — a commitment that has underpinned the longest period without a major-power conflict since the emergence of the modern state system in the 17th century.

Do you remember your history?

Do you remember Neville Chamberlain? And his appeasement to Hitler? Did that work? You cannot negotiate madman? The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum put it this way…

Appeasement is a diplomatic strategy. It means making concessions to an aggressive foreign power in order to avoid war. The best known example of appeasement is British foreign policy towards Nazi Germany in the 1930s. In popular memory, appeasement is primarily associated with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (in office, 1937–1940). However, appeasement of Nazi Germany was also the policy of his predecessors, James Ramsay MacDonald (1929–1935) and Stanley Baldwin (1935–1937).

 The Republicans have also been demanding an end date as if that is up to the Ukrainians

 

I hope the reason isn’t because they dream of an authoritarian government.

 

[/Rant]