Republican officials criticizing American support for Ukraine are abetting Russian aggression, mimicking the 1939-1941 American First isolationists like Charles Lindbergh who similarly appeased Nazi Germany’s aggression against its neighbors.
Russian President Putin’s strategy to break the military stalemate centers on weakening European and U.S. support for Ukraine. Central to this strategy is exploiting conservatives. In the U.S., Putin was doubtlessly flabbergasted when the Republicans in 2016 nominated the transactional Donald Trump. Putin seized the moment, with Russian interference on behalf of Republicans widespread in 2016 and since, including 2022. For his part, Trump welcomed Putin’s campaign support as documented in the Mueller Report (Putin also aided the Green Party’s Jill Stein). And his scheme scored a remarkable success when Trump reciprocated by normalizing Putin (“strong,” a “genius”).
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