Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

"Romney is right: MAGA Republicans are "almost treasonous".

"Donald Trump spent four years (plus a year campaigning) cozying up to and helping further the geopolitical aims of Russian President Vladimir Putin. If Putin had handpicked an agent to be president of the United States, he could hardly have expected better results; Trump certainly exceeded any expectations Putin might have had with fawning admiration, disparaging NATO, extorting Ukraine by withholding military aid, leaving Russia’s election-meddling unpunished, inviting Putin back into the Group of Seven and attacking our own intelligence community. To this day, the defeated former president continues to praise Putin (“smart”), continues to denigrate the United States (“dumb”) and our allies.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), ridiculed as a presidential candidate in 2012 for identifying Russia as our primary international foe (he was premature but prescient), on Sunday called out Putin’s admirers in his own party as “almost treasonous”

Romney hit on an uncomfortable truth: The GOP’s Putin apologists include also the loudest and most odious Trump supporters.

The divisions within the GOP are stark and becoming unsustainable. In the first group are a tiny handful of Republicans who opposed Trump, supported his impeachment (at least the second one), condemned his assaults on the NATO alliance and denounced his Putin-worship. Other than Romney, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has remained a consistent defender of democracy and opponent of Trump and Putin — and Cheney has been merciless when it comes to their apologists. (“As Russian forces invade Ukraine, Russian TV features Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo and Tucker Carlson praising Putin,” she tweeted on Friday. “Putin is evil. Every American watching what’s happening in Ukraine should know that.”)

On Sunday, she declared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that we have seen “impressive progress” with sanctions on Russia and praised the unity of the alliance, while making constructive suggestions for further steps (e.g., a complete freeze-out of the Russian central bank and sanctioning oligarchs’ families).

It is noteworthy that Romney and Cheney avoid any anti-Biden gibberish, a cheap way for Republicans to appear pro-Trump and pro-MAGA by implication but at the risk of once more undercutting democracies and weakening a united front against Putin.

This brings us to the second group of Republicans, the cowardly and incoherent latecomers to Ukraine’s side. They would have us forget Trump’s appeasement and his unabated flattery for Putin, both of which they countenanced.

From House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to staunch Trump apologist Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to the entire Republican Party apparatus (which keeps up a constant stream of juvenile insults directed at Biden), the largest group of Republicans now vilifies Biden for being too weak (despite the most unified and robust response from the West and success in making Putin a pariah). These were the people who suggested there was nothing wrong with Trump’s call in 2019 attempting to extort Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (now a national hero and international symbol of courage).

On ABC’s “This Week,” George Stephanopoulos gallantly pressed Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): “Why can’t you condemn Donald Trump for those comments [praising Putin]?” He continued: “You’re a senior member of the Republican Party. Donald Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. … When Fox News asked him if he had a message for Vladimir Putin, he said he has no message.” Stephanopoulos never got an answer. Cotton refused to rule out supporting Trump in 2024, to Stephanopoulos’s utter frustration. (“I simply don’t understand why you can’t condemn his praise of Vladimir Putin,” Stephanopoulos said. Hint: Cotton’s ambition and spinelessness prevent him from breaking with Trump.)

Some Republicans get so confused they lose track of who’s on Ukraine’s side. Taking the prize for incoherence, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) bizarrely attacked Democrats — such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and others who played a role in Trump’s impeachment for betraying U.S. security interests and extorting Ukraine — for weakening Ukraine.

Some right-wing pundits become apologists for Putin’s cringeworthy defenders. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Danielle Pletka (who defended voting for Trump in 2020) bizarrely claimed former secretary of state Mike Pompeo “misspoke” when he repeatedly praised Putin. (NBC foreign affairs reporter Andrea Mitchell appeared flabbergasted, pointing out that Pompeo fawned over Putin more than once). Self-humiliation is no barrier to hypocrisy.

One cannot be an unrepentant apologist for Trump (or his advisers) and favor his return to the presidency (or at least not oppose it) while also taking Ukraine’s side and defending Western democracies. These are diametrically opposed goals. We dare not return to power Trump acolytes who denigrate America (when much of the world has rallied behind the U.S. president), bolster authoritarianism, rationalize political violence, abhor a free press and fail to stand up to Putin’s favorite patsy.

The third category of Republicans — including Trump, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Fox News’s Tucker Carlson (disclaimer: I’m an MSNBC contributor) — remains supportive of Putin. A flock of right-wing media personalities echo their namesake American Firsters of the 1930s, who insisted we had no dog in Europe’s war. (Consider what would have occurred if Trump had been elected in 2020. Ukraine, perhaps the Baltics too, would be cooked, and the West would be in disarray.)

How long can Romney and Cheney tolerate the cognitive dissonance required to remain in a party aligned with Trump and Putin apologists? There comes a time when a united front means putting aside partisan differences and doing whatever it takes to stop a pro-Putin, pro-Trump faction from returning to power."

Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post

SteveR Loc: Michigan

"Romney is right: MAGA Republicans are "almost treasonous".

I know it when I smell it. I know it when I step in it. I know it when I read it.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

When I superimpose this post with others you have posted, I become quite confused, but only about what it is you really believe in.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

[quote=SteveR]"Romney is right: MAGA Republicans are "almost treasonous".
I know it when I smell it. I know it when I step in it. I know it when I read it.[/quote


Don’t scrape it off your shoe without commenting on the truthfulness of it.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

For all those who would call Rubin a liberal, she has always been considered conservative.

WNYShooter Loc: WNY

Yes, in your dreams maybe. In her own words:

"Finally, many people ask: Are you all big-"D" Democrats now? My answer is “it depends.” I am a Pat Moynihan Democrat, a Scoop Jackson Democrat, an Andrew Cuomo Democrat. I’m not a Bernie Sanders Democrat. So where does that leave me? Where I have been for just about four years: a center-right member of the “Resistance,” an advocate for good governance and internationalism (including free trade and robust legal immigration) and a passionate believer in the American creed. The best answer perhaps to the partisan affiliation question is that it is a time for creative policy and civility, so we will focus on that."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/13/nevertrump-becomes-neverrepublican/

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Treason, Tom? I would hope that Trump supporters would shift to somebody else, but you have to understand the psychology of those who are committed to him. They see him as tough against those things that they feel are ruining America and tough against our foreign enemies as well, and are willing to forgive his personal faults and errors. I find great fault with the man's character and personally would rather have somebody with like mind but better character like Mike Pompeo, but I'd still rather have Trump as President than Biden. There would have been no Afghanistan pullout blunder under Trump, even if we had pulled out, and there would have been no Ukraine. Now the question comes up as to how long it will be before China invades Taiwan. That NEVER would have been a question under Trump. As far as character goes, the Dems have given us some pretty rotten ones when you think about it. Trump is just more blatant.

..

WNYShooter Loc: WNY

Well said! I have pretty much the same views and opinions in regards to Trump.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

[quote=Kmgw9v][quote=SteveR]"Romney is right: MAGA Republicans are "almost treasonous".
I know it when I smell it. I know it when I step in it. I know it when I read it.[/quote


Don’t scrape it off your shoe without commenting on the truthfulness of it.[/quote]

That's a big name to tag on millions of people. Treason is a crime of attempting to kill the country's leader or attempting to overthrow the government. The statement would indicate that all of Trump's followers are "almost" guilty of at least attempting to overthrow the government, which, of course, is not true.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Putin is the enemy. If one praises and compliments the enemy, while disparaging our own leaders; perhaps one is the enemy as well.
Putin has planned to restore the former Soviet Union, and weaken Democracy in Western Europe for years. He would have invaded Ukraine as a stepping stone to those ends, no matter who was the sitting President of the U.S.
he doesn’t care.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

What? He called Putin "smart?" He disparaged our leaders by saying that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he'd been President. I think that's obvious to most people. Saying that Putin is smart and our President is weak doesn't make Trump the enemy. Only in a far leftist's twist brain.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Let's see, Putin invaded Crimea under Obama's watch, Putin didn't dare make a move under Trump's watch, now Putin invaded Ukraine under Bidens watch. Who's the real problem again??

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Be honest. He said our leaders were “dumb” and Putin was smart. What good did that do the U.S. except to please and bring a rare smile to Putin’s lips?

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

He was correct, Putin outsmarted Bush, Obama and Biden because he is smarter than all 3. That's just stating facts, has nothing to do with supporting Putin.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Why does a former President feel the need to praise a murderous enemy, and in the following breath call our leaders “ dumb”?
Why would Trump do that? It certainly doesn’t help this country, the Ukraine, or the world. It is sick. Stop defending his recklessness.