The GOP Would Rather Be Right Than Win
ewerickson.substack.com
The GOP Would Rather Be Right Than Win
A CNN poll shows Republicans would rather a candidate agree with them than beat Biden. Polling may be dubious these days, but we can see this is right with Ron DeSantis stating his position on Ukraine. There isn’t much difference between pro-Ukraine Republicans mad at DeSantis and election deniers. Here’s why.
I am a very pro-Ukraine Republican who isn’t mad at DeSantis. I can understand his nuanced position quite well. And, as a sign of grace, can we quit using “neocon” as a slur? I’m old enough to remember the original meaning.
I read Trump's written replies to the question on Ukraine posed by Carlson and they seem to be more nuanced than your summary of them. Anyway, Ukraine is a proxy war supported by those who support and have supported all of the other proxy wars and military interventions of dubious intent waged by the US over the past 30 years. How we on the right (or left for that matter) can continue justifying the offensive use of military power in this way is neither truly conservative nor rational. War is always the ultimate human failure. It causes deep intergenerational wounds. It should be avoided at all costs except in the most extreme, truly defensive situations. We need a new political voice with true leadership ability to articulate that message and to extricate us from this pattern which leads reasonable people around the world to see us in purveyors of death and destruction. Personally, I believe that the founders of our nation would be appalled at what we have become--involved all over the world militarily--all the while selling it to our people as in the national interest. It's nonsense and more and more people know it.