Republicans Must Support Ukraine
/by Joshua Sotomayor- Einstein
Freedom is under assault on a global level. From the growth of authoritarianism in free countries during covid (for example, Canada’s use of the formerly titled War Powers Act to shut down peaceful protests) to Putin’s efforts to erase an entire democratic nation from the map as anything more than his puppet, freedom is under siege. Republicans must continue to lead efforts to protect freedom because of the dire consequences that will follow if it goes to the wayside – and in this current conflict that means supporting Ukraine.
Republicans have been on the front lines defending freedom since the GOP’s founding as the anti-slavery party of Abraham Lincoln. Notwithstanding the inverted leftist revisionist history indoctrinated into children at schools – it was the GOP that supported enshrining equality in law by overwhelmingly supporting civil rights legislation. When the Democrats wanted ‘accommodation’ (ie appeasement), it was the GOP which stood up to the USSR demanding the Berlin Wall be torn down and the people be freed. It was GOP leaders who successfully protected vulnerable populations against a new virus without pushing an authoritarian compliance culture pitting neighbor against neighbor. Today, our party is called upon to stand for freedom for all peoples once more. Today, Republicans must stand with Ukraine, the nation in which tens of thousands of civilians are bearing arms to defend their freedom.
Republicans must do so knowing the lessons of recent history. While the US can be the arsenal of democracy, we cannot be the world’s policeman serving as de facto beat cops patrolling other nations. But as Republicans we must support free nations when they are victim of aggression by totalitarian dictators. We Republicans recognize that the US has a vital national interest in the Ukrainian battle for freedom from Putin’s illegal invasion of a democracy. Just as Ukrainian’s have been called neo-Nazi’s by Putin because they have individual freedoms he does not tolerate in Russia (and despite having a popularly elected Ukrainian Jewish president); Republicans know what it is like to be victim of the cancel culture accusations that we are neo-Nazi and racist because we will not bow before the domestic left’s authoritarian disregard for the bill of rights.
Republicans know that if Ukraine falls and Putin remains unchecked that the dominoes will tumble and a globe spanning chaos will ensue as the world enters a new era of war, trade is further disrupted, and the US and global economy enters a 2nd Great Depression. As nations around the world resume invasion as a norm, the immigration crisis at our southern border will seem a pittance to what will come as the worlds suffering millions will flee to the US. Republicans know that abstaining from military adventurism and engaging in diplomacy does not require the application of a soft touch. We can and should contain Putin to preserve US national interests by embargoing Russia, immediately and continuously providing a supply of arms and ammunition to not only to the people of Ukraine but to the Caucasus Mountain nation of Georgia (of which 20% is illegally occupied by Russia), and by moving our bases currently in Germany into Poland and the Baltic states.
President Reagan, one of our nation's greatest presidents stood firm against the USSR and without engaging in open war defeated them. President Trump stood firm against Putin, which is why this invasion of Ukraine happened under President Biden watch not Trumps. Both Presidents’ Reagan and Trump respected our enemy’s ability and intelligence, and both prevented the growth of Russian imperial tyranny on their watch. Now it is up to the GOP, the party of individual freedom, not only to remind the Democrats how they (and President Obama in particular) engaged in mockery when our former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney identified Russia as a major threat to the world, but that US national interests are in danger and that we must support Ukraine.
Without spilling a drop of American blood we can check Putin and prevent the coming global chaos that will harm the US and plunge the world into economic depression. It’s up to Republicans to join with the Ukrainian and other immigrant communities formerly abused by the Russo-Soviet empire to advocate to our elected and party officials that enough is enough. It’s time to help Ukraine. It’s time to defend freedom.
