Surprise, surprise: "Pro-Putin GOP wing shrinking"

[Hekate]

I don’t know how much to credit this. The Republican Party as such is a bunch of spineless weasels afraid of the MAGA monster Trump unleashed.

Los Angeles Times 2-26-2022

Since the 2016 election and Russian efforts to help Donald Trump’s presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton, U.S. attitudes toward Moscow have featured a stew of partisan memes, personal grievances and Cold War tropes, all superimposed on top of the inevitable tensions between two big international powers.
As wars have so often done, the Russian invasion of Ukraine — predicted for weeks, but still a shock — has quickly begun to clarify who stands where.
One result has been to highlight how little support Trump’s Russia-friendly attitudes have within his party.
Some Republican elected officials have used the occasion to criticize President Biden, mostly by asserting that he has failed to take a tough enough stance. Very few have echoed the favorable comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin that in recent weeks have come from Trump and Tucker Carlson, the influential Fox News commentator.
That could have big consequences.

In the short term, Biden faces relatively little domestic opposition to ratcheting up economic sanctions against Russia. Hesitancy by European allies will constrain him more than domestic concerns.
The one line the public clearly does not want to cross is any use of American troops — White House spokespeople have repeatedly emphasized that Biden will not do that.
Longer term: It’s possible, although by no means certain, that widely aired pictures of civilian death and destruction in Ukraine at Putin’s orders will undermine support for Trump and other Putin apologists.
The mainstream of American public opinion has flowed against Russia for most of the last decade. (Re: 2014 Crimea) (Re: Gallup Polls)

Dissent from that mainstream, anti-Russian view has come largely from two directions.

On the left, a fairly small, but notable, segment views U.S. involvement overseas as a continuation of past imperialist adventures……
They also have highlighted the uglier sides of Ukrainian nationalism, which includes militias with clearly antisemitic and anti-democratic programs. And they’ve called for Ukraine to agree to abandon its goal of eventually joining NATO, while also urging Russia to show restraint.
As a share of the American electorate, however, the anti-imperialist left is in the single-digit range. Support for Putin has come more from the right, from Trump and some of his allies.

(Trump said) ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent,” Trump said. “Oh, that’s wonderful. So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper.” “They’re gonna keep peace all right,” he added. “Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.”…….

A highly visible coterie of pro-Trump figures have adopted the same position.
…….Stephen K. Bannon, for example, has hailed Putin as an upholder of traditional values, singling out for praise the Russian leader’s opposition to gay rights.
Besides Trump, the most high-profile conservative defender of the Russian leader has been Tucker Carlson……
Despite the large audiences those figures draw, they’ve had limited impact on the views of GOP voters.
(Re: polls by YouGov and others. More at link)


https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/latimes/default.aspx?token=42e23962a5d74614be16bae3d62d13e7&utm_id=49367&sfmc_id=1778350&edid=7475f502-751a-4ee5-ac61-e9e0a3d82ef0

[gratuitous]

1. Sorry boys

But the stink of Putin's failure isn't going to shake that easily.

[Hekate]

2. They've said a lot in front of cameras, haven't they? We won't forget. nt

[True Blue American]

3. If posters

On various boards mean anything I am seeing a huge change since Putin invaded Ukraine. Far righters are angry at Putin.

[True Blue American]

4. Do not forget Pompeo!

How far the West Pointer has fallen!

[BlueIdaho]

5. The hell you say?

We need to marry these jackals to Putin and TFG. No wriggling off the hook. It’s the pottery barn rule - remember?

[llmart]

11. +1

Hang that albatross around their necks.

Love the phrase "Pottery Barn rule".

[keithbvadu2]

6. Now the repubs are pretending to be Pro-America?

New republican meme of Trump's regime::: Russia is our friend

[mcar]

7. MSM cannot let them get away with this

After 5 years of IMPOTUS II and Putin love, now they're saying "never mind" and we're supposed to applaud.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. This is what I predicted.

It's one thing for an autocrat to posture as being "tough", it's another to be exposed as being outright sadistic and power mad. Putin is blowing the cover of those on the American right who had been making some headway positioning themselves (with Putin's help) as representative of "real American values."

[Wingus Dingus]

9. Seriously, that Russia was able to infiltrate and co-opt the party of Reagan, the

party of Dubya and Dick and the Neocons, the NRA--that is quite an achievement. They successfully exploited our open policies of internet and social media (and then amplified and exploited our political/social differences) to great advantage, with great harm to our nation--and without firing a shot.

[Hekate]

10. Staggers the imagination, doesn't it?

[Wingus Dingus]

15. It wouldn't have worked as well without the ignorance,

authoritarian tendencies, bigotry and xenophobia that already existed in the GOP base. Russian messaging helped prime them for the Donnie Dipshit takeover. Even the GOP congress and party leaders weren't ready for what happened. They were condemning Trump right up until he was the nominee.

[Hortensis]

19. +100. Der Base went looking for a populist strongman (tRump!)

to lead them and rolled over all the expectations of the wealth-serving Republican leadership. Russian tanks as a simile comes to mind at the moment; many do want tRump to be more like Putin, of course. The other RW powers managed to put them all to their use again anyway, though.

[11 Bravo]

12. Fuck the weathervane caucus.

[gldstwmn]

13. Their cash flow has probably dried up.

No money, no honey.

[gab13by13]

14. Fuck Marco Rubio and the rest of the traitors,

Every damn Republican, except Kinzinger and Cheney must be kept tied to Trump, to Putler, and to Fox.

Make the MSM ask them if they support Trump's position on Putler.

Pompeo refused to answer a reporter's question about Putler, and his bodyguard knocked the reporter out of the way.

[Qutzupalotl]

16. From now on, he's Marco Ruble.️

[SWBTATTReg]

17. Nice writeup, analysis on your part. Thanks for putting up. It's different when these

freedom fighters are in Ukraine, eh? The hypocrisy of those touting the Russian line have all faded away to a whimper when they were double-crossed by putin and his lies, so he can invade Ukraine.

The irony is rich. Hypocrites all caught in their web of lies, those making up the Russian lies, as well as those believing the Russian lies.

[uponit7771]

18. Nope, HANG THEM WITH THEIR OWN DAMN WORDS !!!

[Aristus]

20. Like the frantic Nazi flag and armband burning that went on in Germany

as the Allies got closer.

[bullwinkle428]

21. Surprise, surprise - WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

22. What happened to "better dead than Red"?

The Rethugs used to preach it up one way and down the other.

My how things change.