DeSantis Will Betray Ukraine for MAGA Votes
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have signaled their willingness to sell out Ukraine to the Kremlin, and the Russians have gleefully taken notice. How could this be happening in the party of Ronald Reagan?
Taking the Bait
State governors are not usually experts on foreign policy, but those who intend to run for president are advised to at least brush up on the subject. Alas, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did not get that memo. Last week, DeSantis declared Russia’s massive invasion—the largest operation in Europe since the defeat of the Nazis—to be a mere “territorial dispute,” and said that the war is thus not “a vital American national strategic interest.” This was too much for many elected Republicans and even for the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal , who described the comments as “Ron DeSantis’s First Big Mistake.”
This shining opportunity to stumble came courtesy of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who a few weeks ago sent out questionnaires about Ukraine policy to a group of possible GOP presidential candidates. Carlson’s questions presented Republican contenders with a dilemma. On the one hand, many faithful MAGA voters, who make up the core of the GOP base, are regular viewers of Carlson’s show, and his questionnaire was a kind of early beauty pageant, an opportunity for Republican candidates to take a quick walk down the runway in front of MAGA World. On the other hand, Carlson is an irresponsible demagogue who has been exposed in the Dominion-lawsuit filings as a relentless opportunist who will bamboozle his own audience for ratings.
Since the war in Ukraine began more than a year ago, Carlson has gone on numerous unhinged rants against “ the D.C. war machine ,” meaning anyone who supports aiding Kyiv. (He even went off the deep end about me a few weeks ago.) Carlson claims to just be asking questions, but on Ukraine, as on many other issues, he is located right in the heart of the fever swamps.
In addition to his own bizarre perorations, Carlson also occasionally relies on input from his guest Douglas Macgregor , a retired Army colonel who for a hot second was an adviser to Trump’s last (acting) defense secretary, Christopher Miller, and whose nomination to be an ambassador foundered in part because of a history of weird and offensive statements. To give you some idea of the minefield awaiting GOP candidates, Macgregor went on last night about how the Ukrainians are getting “crushed,” and how the left has weakened the U.S. military to the point where it is almost useless. (The Pentagon’s assessment is a bit less gloomy, to say the least.) Carlson responded by asking, “[If America] became embroiled in a hot war with Russia, how long before you are arrested would it be, do you think, for saying what you just did?”
Even Macgregor didn’t bother answering that one, but it shows why, for the credible would-be candidates filling out Carlson’s questionnaire, there is no real advantage in saying anything of substance. And so, most of them didn’t, offering unexceptional responses composed mostly of political dryer lint: Kristi Noem blamed Joe Biden for being too weak to deter the Russians. Mike Pence said that regime change in Russia was up to the Russian people. Vivek Ramaswamy was more than happy to provide more detailed answers, but that is a luxury one can take while on the path to becoming a kind of GOP Andrew Yang. And Nikki Haley, in a classic cautious Nikki Haley move, waited until Carlson’s deadline for response had passed and the show on the subject had aired before answering the questions.
DeSantis, however, bit down on this giant hunk of bait, and his answers were displayed on Carlson’s show like a prize marlin.
Of course, this may have been DeSantis’s intent. He may well be trying to sound like an ill-informed isolationist, because he is trying to capture the MAGA voters who now support Trump. The former president is the undisputed world heavyweight champion of ignorant views, and if you’re going to take him on, you’d better have some stunningly ignorant views of your own to bring to the table. That’s what the Republican base wants.
DeSantis seems to know this all too well, which is likely why he’s been shoveling so much red meat out the front door of the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee to the MAGA cultural warriors. While covering his Trump-exposed flank on foreign policy, however, DeSantis has accidentally illustrated the problem of running for office in what used to be the party of Reagan: If you want to win the primary voters, you’ve got to reject everything you once believed.
Indeed, back in 2017, DeSantis the congressman — but not yet the candidate—wanted to be Reagan. When he opposed Barack Obama’s efforts to initiate a “reset” with Russia, he noted that Democrats “viewed guys like me who are more of the Reagan school that’s tough on Russia as kind of throwbacks to the Cold War.” And two years earlier , DeSantis was all about teaching the Russians a lesson for seizing Ukraine. He excoriated then-President Obama for being weak-kneed:
We in the Congress have been urging the president … to provide arms to Ukraine. They want to fight their good fight. They’re not asking us to fight it for them. And the president has steadfastly refused. And I think that that’s a mistake.
Well said, congressman. Perhaps you might have a talk with the current governor of Florida.
This pandering to the MAGA base is going to get worse, because Trump continues to dominate the GOP primary field. In some areas, this featherweight posturing will be repairable: Down the road, no one is likely to be fighting over whether first graders should be assigned college texts on “critical race theory.” In other cases, such as the destruction of Florida’s public universities, the damage will be more long-lasting.
But in foreign policy, amateurish pandering to Tucker Carlson’s audience is dangerous. The Russian media are already crowing that the next American president will throw Ukraine to the wolves, a belief that could lead the Kremlin to take even greater risks than bumping into drones. Many elected Republicans and GOP presidential contenders—despite their constant fear of offending Trump—seem to recognize this, to their credit. If only Ron DeSantis were one of them.
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What's next for neo-republicans? Channeling a 1970's version Jane Fonda?
cool, I'm very interested in knowing exactly who the maga russian collaborators are in america...
They'd throw their own mothers under the bus.
There are several on NT already, I expect their numbers to multiply in the coming weeks and months.
I'll keep my "when the shit hits the fan hit list" updated... /s
Okay senator McCarthy. Make sure you Add Obama to your little list
So, are you now, or have you ever been, a member of The Tea Bagger MAGA Party?
YOU for one!
You have to understand that this one believes that anyone that does not toe his radical far left ideals are fascists (in which he can't define the term) and obviously now russian collaborators.
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Lol ... more than one of those dimbulbs accused me of being a Russian bot. A Cold War Marine.
Funny as hell .....
Came here from the vine. Some folk are damn lucky for anonymity.
(including me)
If I were Perrie I would have a lengthy 'better dead' list.
Were you a Huffington Post refugee when you found the vine?
I own a dictionary.
I own a smart phone.
Live in a tiny prairie town.
I know fascists and fascism.
You can look up the word as easily as I can.
Part of this thread was removed for a slap fight. Stop it. Only warning.
Is there a republican candidate, current or upcoming, that would NOT throw Ukraine to Putin for the votes? Current republican motto appears to be, "Power supersedes all other concerns".
All politicians do not sell their soul, family, and country for votes, so no.
Never met Jane but her brother was a friend back in the day.
He hung out with you in Kansas ?
When she came our town we welcomed her with about 100 of these yard signs:
Just as with Putin, American republicans are now insane.
Fascism is toxic to the brain!
Isn't that how republics are supposed to work?
Aren't elected representatives supposed to enact the will of the voters?
wow. If that's the way you feel about an American for simply not parroting the government line when money is involved, you must have really hated the Democrats who dared criticize the government's policy in Iraq or Afghanistan when actual American lives were at stake. Was quislings too nice of a term for you to use?
If you do not realize who DeSantis was pandering to on Tucker's show, I can't help you.
Nice deflection.
That's all you have.
Even though it was not one, glad you liked it.
republicans and russians, kindred spirits with common goals...
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DeSantis sold his soul long before he was in Congress, so selling out some other country is the easy part now.
Ukraine is not a part of the US. Ukraine is not a part of NATO. We have no defense pact with Ukraine. We don't even have an unwritten agreement with them to defend them like Taiwan.
So no one is selling anyone out.
What people are questioning is just how much damn money are we going to waste on a country with a non Democratic, pro Fascist, corrupt as all get out government? One that is arresting political opponents; shutting down opposition media; and restricting religion. Didn't learn anything from Afghanistan or Iraq? Why some seem to care so damn much about Ukraine's border integrity when they don't give a shit about our own?
If anyone is that damn eager to support Ukraine; then jump on a plane and head on over there. Ukraine is taking all volunteers. They need people for their war with Russia. I am sure you will get slightly better training Russian recruits now receive before being thrown into the meat grinder. Just be careful if you aren't European white; you might run afoul of their fascists.
You sound in need of a vacation, I suggest Hungary ... maybe Tucker can give you some advice on where to stay.
How far is Budapest from St Petersburg?
1-1/2 sharpened flagpoles.
I suggest you go to Ukraine. They really, really, really, want you.
It becomes clear now who the Putin supporters actually are.
Yes, it's so obvious.
A day and a half by train, 24 hours driving.
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The fall of Ukraine could expose the connections Biden family has with the corruption in the Ukrainian government and ties to China that they have been fighting to desperately to keep hidden.
You know the Bidenites can't have it out there that the boogieman they hate is actually the hero.
Sadly, DeSantis is once again flip flopping. What happened to the Gung Ho DeSantis, oh perhaps those MAGA votes are more important.
I think Desantis is already on the Putin payroll which explains the flip flop
The previous ten comments were removed for personal off topic nonsense, SP.
The problem with Biden's open ended approach is there seems to be no plan in place. If Trump had gotten reelected, Putin's Folly likely would not have happened.
I don't give a shit about Ukraine's supposedly corrupt fascist government, but I do care about what's happening to it's people. And since we are already involved, pulling out now and running away is not an option. We should give them as much material support as we can afford to, but no troops on the ground.
We found out in WW2 that we couldn't stay isolationist forever...the outcome would have likely been very different if Japan hadn't dragged us into it
I agree with your points, but how much is the issue though. Apparently, you aren't allowed to even question just how much support we can afford
Right, trump would have let Putin take Ukraine. No fuss, no muss.
I agree with the rest of your post.
It's kind of saddening to see all these people crying "help Ukraine" but NOT A SINGLE ONE is willing to board a plane and actually go help Ukraine. Why is that? I get it, for many it looks good to virtue signal. The whole "look at me" bullshit. But like everything else these people virtual signal about, when it comes to doing something, they fall short.
I'm 72 or 73 and have claudication in both legs ... is that good enough for you or do I need some bone spurs?
I am sure Ukraine could give you a desk job. They have billions of dollars of US aid and military equipment/munitions they have to keep track of.
And what are you doing to "help Ukraine" aside from running virtue signaling? You can still get on a plane and go provide support.
UNHCR
Home page | Support Ukraine (support-ukraine.org.ua)
Want to buy drones for the Ukrainians? They have web site for that
as well as food, child services etc.
We've already done all that. All at the expense of the taxpayer.
Which is it?
72 or 73?
Or aren’t you sure?
One or the other ... every day is Tuesday.
Who exactly is "we" Jeremy?
Same ones who cry "no such thing as illegal aliens", but not one of them has taken one of those illegals into their home.
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This is what a group of us, our local veteran's club does for Ukraine we donate to a few different Ukraine organizations on a regular basis and have also held fundraisers for Ukraine. We have all more than paid our dues to support who we chose to when we chose to without some BS virtual signaling comment.
fascists have been all pissed off ever since the draft ended and they could no longer send black people and hippies to die in their wars.
eSantis have signaled their willingness to sell out Ukraine to the Kremlin,
Having read what DeSantis actually said, this is simply gaslighting.
He doesn't want the war to expand (US troops), he wants accounting for the billions we gave Ukraine (the horror), he supports the Biden Admin position on F16s and is worried about a nuclear war (who besides the progressive Buck Turgidsons doesn't?). None of those things are a "sell out"
DeSantis wants to stay at least as fucked up as Trump is, in order to get enough of MAGA to win the nomination. That is all there is to it.
Trump threatened world war three again last night unless he is chosen to come and save the day.
We are in a downward spiral
How is he going to start WWIII if he doesn't get elected? Does he have his own bomb?
He'll sic his enablers/supporters on them - like the domestic terrorist mobs he incited on the Capitol - same people.
A fate worse than death.
The far right wing have been bought and sold by Putin.
... in their words and deeds.