this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024

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372

Why MAGA Loves Russia and Hates Ukraine (www.nytimes.com)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

56 comments fedilink hide all child comments

As I type this newsletter, continued American aid for Ukraine is in grave doubt. Tucker Carlson is in Moscow to conduct a friendly interview with Vladimir Putin. And we’re receiving reports from the front lines that Russia is advancing, in part because of Ukrainian ammunition shortages. In short, the war is reaching a critical stage, and Ukraine may lose because Republicans are willing to hand authoritarian Russia a historic military victory rather than supply further aid to a democratic ally.

Ronald Reagan isn’t just rolling over in his grave; he may also lurch from it in a fit of incredulous rage. This is a remarkable and potentially catastrophic reversal by a political party that is in a state of near-total, frequently random ideological transformation.

To explain the intensity of Republican resistance to Ukraine aid, I need to return to a concept I wrote about in November: that of bespoke realities. My friend Renée DiResta, the technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, coined the term, and she wrote that it refers to the “bubble realities” constructed by communities “that operate with their own norms, media, trusted authorities and frameworks of facts.”

Among those who oppose aid to Ukraine, there are certainly several paleoconservatives who object on classic isolationist grounds: It’s not our fight, our support is costly, we might find ourselves inadvertently embroiled in war, and so on. But the mass Republican movement against Ukraine is rooted far less in policy than it is in a particular bespoke reality of the MAGA universe, in which Ukraine is a pernicious villain, Putin is a flawed hero and Russia should have crushed Ukraine long ago.

MAGA Republicans’ hatred and contempt for Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian cause is shockingly vehement. Candace Owens says she wants to “punch” Zelensky. Donald Trump Jr. calls him an “international welfare queen.” Carlson says he dresses “like the manager of a strip club.” It’s all bizarre and unreasonable. And it all fits the broader MAGA narrative.

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[+] [email protected] -8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This is silly. Republicans, including MAGA, overwhelmingly support Ukraine and don't want anything to do with Russia. It just takes a few bad apples to make everyone start screaming about how MAGA are Russian lovers... however, what often gets ignored in all this is the fact that Ukraine was once considered one of the most CORRUPT countries on the planet. It's not about lack of support for Ukraine, it's about making sure the funds are spent appropriately. Republicans are just making sure the funds are doing what they're supposed too. Apparently, if you ask questions about this type of stuff, you're supporting Russia. At least that's what the Left is trying to say..,.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Republicans are just making sure the funds are doing what they’re supposed too.

all $44 billion? Where was there concern for the fiscal responsibility during Iraq when we spent $3000 billion?.

Congress specifically allocated a hefty $42 million for oversight purposes. That is plenty to get the job done. If there are problems, it is the accountability structure that should be advanced, but by no means should it be an argument to stop funding Ukraine. As of February 2023, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (OIG) has more than 90 professionals engaged in oversight of security assistance to Ukraine. So far, there have been no reports of major fraud by the OIG. Furthermore, the OIG also collaborates with oversight staff from the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

With U.S. support, Ukraine has demonstrated incredible results considering that Russia planned to take over Kyiv in a few days. Since the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has regained more than half of its occupied territory. Russia now occupies approximately 14 percent of the country’s territory, while at the height of the invasion in March 2022 it had about 27 percent of the territory. In addition, the United States and European Union did not have to lose any active-duty military personnel, and the transatlantic alliance has been strengthened. At the same time, “the war has severely degraded Russia’s military power and its ability to threaten NATO allies,” according to Steven Moore, the former chief of staff to retired representative Pete Roskam (R-IL). UK defense chief Tony Radakin said in July that “Russia lost nearly half the combat effectiveness of its army,” adding that“last year, [Russia] fired 10 million artillery shells but at best can produce 1 million shells a year. It has lost 2,500 tanks and at best can produce 200 tanks a year.” Russian military casualties are near 300,000. In sum, for a fraction of what the United States spends on its military every year, Ukraine has inflicted significant losses on an international competitor with no commitment of U.S. military forces. 1

This war has real costs to the US. Russia has been at war with the US. They were directly responsible for the election of their puppet president who nearly withdrew us from NATO.

We would be fools not to send defensive assistance to an ally who is now running out of a means to defend themselves.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Modern Republicans are like George on Seinfeld when he decides to do the opposite.

Everything they do, everything they believe, is purely in opposition to the Democrats (and the establishment consensus more broadly).

It's pure, kneejerk obstructionism.

Everyone else says Putin is bad? Well shit, he must be good.

Everyone else says Ukraine is good? Then they're evil.

Folks say Biden won? Nope, he lost.

Honestly, the left should just start using reverse psychology to get things done. If Biden came out against the trans community, you can bet the next day Trump would do a rally in drag.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

People always say this about parties that are out of power. All of your examples come down to Trump aligning with the Russians (for...whatever reason...) and Trump fans get on board with that, which leads to being anti-Ukraine funding. And Trump just has the inability to say he lost and people get on board for that.

There are things like Israel funding which both parties want to pass. Senate Republicans want Ukraine funding still. There was a bipartisan law passed on infrastructure, and a bipartisan law on gun control / mental health services.

Obviously in a two party system, the parties have opposing views on a lot of things, but that doesn't mean it's knee-jerk opposition to everything.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I'd buy that argument if the house Republicans could actually come together and do, you know, anything with their (thin) majority. But they can't because they're now simply the party of "no".

And the root causes are obvious: the house GOP is the least experienced caucus in history with more freshman than ever. Those folks were voted in on a platform of obstruction and reactionary objection, not constructive policy positions.

And so now, with their hands on the tiller, they have no coherent platform or strategy.

You can see this in the recent border debacle where it was more important to deny Biden even the hint of a win than to pass any kind of legislation, even when it's policies they ostensibly support. That's the politics of obstruction at work.

Back when the Tea Party was the minority voice, that was fine. They could throw bombs from the back row and things would still get done.

Now that those folks are in charge, they're directionless.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You're seeing a little taste of this now at the southern border - the left happily jumped on board with the right's plan to fortify, then suddenly it was "wait, no, not this way..." and they killed their own bill.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Well, they just handed us a new plan for killing bad ideas. So that's nice.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 9 months ago (1 children)

TLDR: Because they’re told to.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

And because Dems support Ukraine.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

TF? Reagan would be right there with trump and the rest of the MAGA idiots. He started all of this.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Anti Communism was 90% of Regan's schtick.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Same with Putin.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

Russia hasn't been communist decades. It's an authoritarian dictatorship. Right up Reagan's alley.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Doesn’t seem to have stuck, does it?

[–] [email protected] 46 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Fascists love fascists. Tale as old as time. Just like Hitler loved Franco.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Putin helped create MAGA, Trump plays by the KGB disinformation playbook.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

Putin found fertile soil because the right in the us has always been sympathetic to fascism.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago

Yeah. This shit is not complicated anymore, and hasn't been since Jan 6.

We're going to OP/Ed it into normality I guess.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Was listening to an interesting take by Jon Stewart talking to Ian Hislop who’s a UK satirist. Jon was talking about the role of racism in their perceived ideological alignment.

https://youtu.be/pbOiXmMnyw4?feature=shared

[–] [email protected] 48 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

MAGA is a movement, whose origins are greatly influenced by Russian misinformation campaigns, that revolves around Donald Trump, a notorious Russian asset. It's not fucking rocket science.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago

America made profound and catastrophic foreign policy mistakes in the past. But never in my lifetime have we been on the verge of a mistake so profound and catastrophic that was the direct result of theories and ideas that were so shallow, stupid and, frankly, bizarre.

Ain’t it the truth

[–] [email protected] 21 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Because they've been told to, and because they're idiots they do as they're told like the good little followers they are.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Scared into submission while getting squeezed out of every cent.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Because they were told to, as they cannot truly think or reason critically, and because they've subscribed (with their dollars) to the monthly traitor-box to receive and share the enclosed hatred and revenge. Just like Christians are supposed to preach the Gospel, these chucklefucks spread hatred and bad faith misinformation, with arguments that are paper thin and defeated easily by a simple Google search.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's the banner of bullies and abject failures in life. The flunkers and cheaters in school. A lightning-rod for the psycho and sociopaths alike. Of those whose parents failed to teach them character and empathy.

Basically, all the assholes you met in your life since you were a kid and who never had a wake-up call to change are highly likely to sympathize or reside under the maga banner.

They idolize Putin's power and see themselves in Trump (take that how you will; you know they would). They love that fake-it-til-you make it actually works and they can slide by because after all, that's all they have.

Now in fairness there is a subset of these individuals who may be decent people deep-down. But they're so ignorant or apathetic to reality they just know no better. In that respect, external, systemic influences certainly play a part. The right-wing propaganda machine is strong and a hard current to overcome.

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