When Missouri Senator Josh Hawley claimed that his reason for not showing up for Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech to Congress was that he didn't want to be part of a photo op for Ukraine asking for more money from the United States "when they have not given us an accounting on anything they have spent," it reminded me of a little bit of American history surrounding Lend-Lease, Franklin Roosevelt's historic legislation that was a major factor in the allied victory over Nazi Germany during World War 2.
Lend-Lease was a historic policy. Recognizing the danger to the United States that was caused by Nazi Germany's conquest of the European continent and particularly the fall of France, Roosevelt got Congress to pass Lend-Lease, which provided for sending war goods, initially to Great Britain, in the form of a "loan" which, theoretically, they would pay back after the war was over. Lend-Lease did two things which helped the United States win the war, after the Pearl Harbor attack made it a genuine "world war." It enabled the British to defend their homeland and remain in the war, wtithout which winning it would have been a much more difficult, longer and deadly prospect for the United States. And it helped gear up American industry for wartime production, so that when war did come, America's industrial capacity was able to supply a military operation of historic proportions.
Though the intention of Lend-Lease was that countries which received help, initially Britain, but later on, Russia and the Nationalist Chinese, who had been fighting the Japanese since 1935, would pay for the goods when their economies recovered from the war, no real accounting was ever kept. National security was the priority, as it should have been, and there is no amount of money that could ever pay for preserving the security and sovereignty of the United States, as far as most Americans were concerned. The objections were mostly from Republicans who, ironically, were known Nazi apologists and sympathizers, and were silenced when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Hitler declared war on the United States.
Of course Hawley, as usual, doesn't know what he is talking about and doesn't have any facts to support his contention, which isn't surprising for him or other Republicans any more. His deliberate ignorance of the situation and downplaying of the significance of American aid to Ukraine, along with the false narrative he and other Republicans put out, making it sound like the United States is doing everything and our NATO allies in Europe are doing nothing by comparison, is another false statement, a lie, that the facts also don't support. There has been an accounting for everything. And Ukraine is receiving help from the other NATO countries, including billions in humanitarian aid coming from the European NATO allies.
Republican Attitudes are Anti-Freedom, Anti-Patriotic and Anti-American. What's the Motivation Behind All of Their Whining?
Why would members of a political party that once waved American flags in the faces of perceived enemies, launched military invasions of countries to impose "democratically elected government", and declared Russia and China as the biggest enemies of the American ideals of individual freedom and democracy suddenly act so foolishly ignorant when the head of state of a nation that is fighting against one of the declared enemies, and advancing American ideals along with defending their freedom and sovereignty, comes to Congress to thank us for our help and to ask for more? Republicans have lost their minds, and that's showing up in these actions as well. But I see two explanations, both credible, both supported with evidence.
It's political. Trump made some ham-fisted mistakes with his handling of Ukraine as President. Among the long list of his inept actions, his attempted bribery of the Ukrainian government, asking them to lie against his political opponent in exchange for help that Congress had already appropriated was one of the lowest moments of his failed Presidency, and considering how much corruption there was, this was one of the most immoral and depraved things he did. Republicans like Hawley, who have no integrity and grovel at his feet, are miffed at the fact that President Zelenskyy refused to get involved in their corruption and refused Trump to his face.
Hawley's refusal to show up for President Zelenskyy's speech to Congress is understandable. How could he be in the same room with someone who has demonstrated the kind of integrity, honesty, and commitment to his nation's sovereignty and freedom and not be completely shamed and embarrassed by the contrast to himself? There are some Republicans who know the depth of Trump's corruption and insanity, who can't seem to find the character, integrity and strength to stand up to him, who seethe with jealousy against those who do have the character, integrity and strength to tell him "NO!" to his face. I don't know if Hawley is one of those Republicans who realizes that Trump is a fraud, but it would certainly explain his actions and the tone and temperament of his words.
There's some Russian interference in there, somewhere. We have several hundred pages of The Mueller Report that document multiple ways in which Putin has interfered in American elections, specifically 2016. There's documented evidence that Russian money and propaganda finds its way into politicians campaigns, PACs, and social media posts, and there are documented attempts by Russian operatives to hack directly into voting apparatus. And one of the most interesting observations about these multiple, known attempts is that they aren't intervening on behalf of Democratic party candidates. I'm not aware of any specific evidence connecting Hawley to any Russian interference. But refusing to show support for the Ukrainian President on his visit to the US while his country is at war with a dictatorial oligarchy that sees American freedom and democracy as its primary enemy makes speculating about such interference legitimate.
Failure to Support Ukraine is a Sign of Faltering Patriotism and is Dangerous to the Freedom of Americans
Ukraine is fighting for their freedom and sovereignty, on our behalf. After hundreds of years of oppression under Russian Czarist imperialism and Soviet communism, and the devastation of the Nazi invasion during World War 2, along with suffering under Nazi domination for almost four years, including one of the bloodiest Jewish massacres of the holocaust happening in Kyiv, the Ukrainians chose democracy and freedom. Like most fledgling democracies, in countries where the people have never lived in true freedom, they had some stumbles and falls during the early years of their national government. But it hasn't taken them long to figure out how to stabilize their economy and their politics. Their leaders point to the example that we Americans have set for them.
That's exactly why they are a direct threat to Putin and his government. Russians are increasingly aware of the differences between life in Ukraine, and life in Russia. Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, where we attempted to force democratic reform militarily, Ukraine adopted American idealism on their own, by their own experience and observation. Their country has prospered by it. The contrast with Russia is visible by just crossing the border, according to Ukrainians I know who have told me. The Russians who live in Ukraine, and who are in a position to cross the border themselves, also see the difference. That's why Putin has been so interested in capturing the Donbas region, where most Russian-speaking Ukrainians live, and where there is ample opportunity for Russians, crossing back into their own country, to observe what freedom and democratic government look and feel like.
Why Republican Americans would not whole heartedly and enthusiastically support Ukraine and be willing to provide them with the resources they need to defend their country is unexplainable and unjustifiable by any standard. Over 80% of Americans support the aid we are sending, and somewhere around 60% say we're not sending enough. Republicans were quite supportive of sending in the military to topple Saddam Hussein, and also to toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan. There are Americans, a sizeable minority if you accept the accuracy of polling data, who are willing to risk sending in the military to help Ukraine.
So what's wrong with these Republicans who are behaving so badly? Yes, that' a rhetorical question.
The Power to Make Change is Still Ours, Through the Ballot Box
The Republicans who showed their true colors when President Zelenskyy visited are not people of integrity, they have no character to speak of, and they have sold themselves out to a lust for power and money that they are dependent on a failed, former President to continue to deliver for them. We have to do a much better job of getting rid of them than we did during the 2022 election. Our turnout fell short of what it should have been. We're still playing by the same old political rules, still not getting that these midterm elections also count, and not getting ahead of the narrative and the themes that seem to motivate voters.
Notice, in many of the articles here in The Signal Press there are some terms that I choose deliberately, to send the message. Republicans are not patriots. Americans appear to worship the almighty dollar and are money-driven and that can sometimes be confusing when it comes to figuring out our true values. But equality, freedom, fundamental human rights, and a government that is empowered by "We, the People," are American values. The Ukrainians have confirmed this. So do the thousands of people seeking asylum here from all over the world, who are willing to line up at the border and wait months or years to get it.
Some Republican politicians are showing us that they no longer value freedom and democracy, and they prefer a more authoritarian approach that enables them to enrich themselves at the expense of others. They are no longer willing to consider other people as equals, and they don't believe in the basic human rights outlines in our constitution. I think pointing those failings out is the best path we have to keeping what we value as a nation. That's the narrative we need to promote at every opportunity.
Thanks to politicians like Hawley, we have examples and evidence of faltering Republican patriotism.
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