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FEBRUARY 24, 2022
Meyerson on TAP
Ukraine and the Trumpian Right
For Trump, favoring Putin over Ukraine is personal, and nothing else
matters. For Trump's base, there are other reasons, too.
Historically, American isolationism has periodically been one of the
banners under which our white Christian supremacist bigots have marched.
That certainly was the case with the America First movement that opposed
Franklin Roosevelt's pre-Pearl Harbor aid to Britain and the Soviet
Union as they fought for their lives against Hitler's armed forces.
Charles Lindbergh, America First's leader, made no serious efforts to
conceal his pro-German sentiments in that conflict.
Today's America Firsters bring an even more twisted set of beliefs to
their current bromance with Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump's comments as
Russia has invaded Ukraine are particularly revealing. They reveal both
his infatuation with leadership based on force, his sense that Putin
came through for him and Ukraine's Zelensky did not, and his complete
incomprehension of any of the ideological and legal norms that are at
stake.
Saying that it was "a smart move" for Putin to send "the strongest peace
force I've ever seen" to Ukraine's frontiers, here's how Trump
then reacted in a radio broadcast to the Russian president's de facto
declaration of war:
Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine-of Ukraine-as
independent. Oh, that's wonderful. He used the word "independent," and
"we're going to go out and we're going to go in and we're going to
help keep peace." You've got to say that's pretty savvy.
What Trump took away from Putin's action was that it was an impressive
display of force and cunning-though it's not clear that Putin's
branding the Russian army's mission as peacekeeping struck anyone
other than Trump as cunning. But Trump has always been partial to the
Big Lie, particularly when employed by nationalist leaders.
Moreover, let's remember that Ukrainian President Zelensky failed to
respond to Trump's request for evidence that Hunter Biden's dealings
in Ukraine were criminal and therefore something that Trump could have
used to defeat Hunter's father in the 2020 election. Indeed, let's
remember that Trump told Zelensky that U.S. aid to Ukraine depended on
his producing that evidence. Let's also remember that Putin's agents
worked to undermine Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016.
In other words, Trump has it in for Zelensky and Ukraine, and views
Putin as a stand-up guy who helped in 2016. That-compounded by his
glee in Putin's display of sheer autocratic clout-has made clear
which side Trump is on. The notion of assessing Putin's actions by
other criteria-say, defending international law and small-d democratic
rule, not to mention the survival of Ukrainian civil society and
Ukrainians' lives and limbs-simply didn't occur to him. Trump,
after all, is neither a small-d democrat nor a defender of the public
good as such. His one and only "ism" is narcissism, and by that
criterion, for all he cares, Ukraine can get fucked.
The amazing thing is that Trump's base has taken his narcissistic
personality disorder and transformed it into their defining worldview.
Trump is psychologically unable to believe he could lose anything, and
that if he did, it had to be because his opponent somehow
cheated-it's axiomatic; no proof required. This has become the
animating sentiment of the Republican base.
But there's more to the right's pro-Putin tilt than just
Trump-über-alles. As I've noted
,
ever since Pat Buchanan dubbed Putin his blood brother in the culture
wars-a dedicated foe of liberalism, feminism, gay rights, minority
rights, secularism, tolerance, pluralism, undue democracy, and all that
stuff-the culture-war right has been swooning over Putin and such
Putinettes as Hungary's Viktor Orban, on whom Tucker Carlson has a
major crush.
Which is why the Putinphilia of the Trumpian right-Fox News, Josh
Hawley, J.D. Vance, and their ilk-is, as the shrinks say,
overdetermined.
~ HAROLD MEYERSON
Follow Harold Meyerson on Twitter
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Michelle Childs, Jim Clyburn, and One Man's Love of Hunting Quail
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federally protected hawks. Rep. Clyburn asked Judge Michelle Childs to
consider his character. BY DANIEL BOGUSLAW & ALEXANDER SAMMON
The 'Black Woman Question' and the Court Nominee
There's a world of difference between Biden's possible picks. And
then there are administration policies that afflict and even endanger
Black women. BY RAMENDA CYRUS
The End of Zero COVID
Until omicron came along, the shutdowns of a Zero COVID policy were the
best way to stop the disease's spread. Now, more than ever, it's the
vaccines and antivirals that make the difference. BY RYAN COOPER
Why Union Membership Statistics Are Stupid
American workers are on the march-something the government isn't
measuring. BY LANE WINDHAM
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