Foreign Policy reports on GOP hijinks in the US Senate:
In recent weeks, the Biden administration and key Republican lawmakers have forged a rare consensus on the need for a tougher response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, advocating for providing deadlier weapons, imposing ruinous sanctions, and promoting vigorous efforts to address the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
Yet, at the same time, Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Roger Marshall of Kansas, have placed holds on the confirmation of several key Biden administration appointees with critical roles in addressing Ukraine’s crisis, including top officials destined for the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development as well as who are responsible for managing U.S. policy on sanctions, humanitarian relief, refugees, and nuclear and chemical security.
Let’s add in some Gallup data:
Americans are following the Ukraine situation closely, as might be imagined given its dominance of daily news coverage. A recent Wall Street Journal poll shows 89% of U.S. voters are following the situation there very or somewhat closely. Pew Research shows 69% of Americans have read or heard a lot about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with most of the rest saying they have read or heard at least a little.
The next time these Senators are up for re-election, their opponents, both intra- and inter-party, have a ready-made attack available. Here’s my interpretation:
Senator, you personally did your best to cripple the American response to the Russian attack on Ukraine, and by extension autocrats everywhere. For how long have you been anti-American?
The Gallup data indicates that most Americans will know precisely the context of the question: The innocent victim status of the Ukrainians, the brutality of the Russian attacks, the bravery of the Ukrainians, etc.
And, with a little careful messaging by the Democrats, the importance of stifling an autocratic regime – a regime to which Americans should be automatically allergic.
An ambitious messaging operation would attempt to use the incompetency of the Russians to connect incompetency with autocrats everywhere. It’d be a difficult pull, but not outside the realm of possibility.
And to what important issue are the Republicans so desperate as to interfere in defending against an attack on freedom?
Scott, who has placed the largest number of holds, has blocked [several nominees essential to the Ukraine situation] confirmation, demanding that the Biden administration first take action on an unrelated issue: the Cuban government’s practice of siphoning the salaries of Cuban doctors exported to other Latin American countries.
No doubt annoying to the doctors, but not of earthshaking importance. Indeed, it’s not a critical American priority.
But here’s the thing: the Gingrichian strategy of opposition to the Democrats at every point, from stealing SCOTUS seats to denying necessary tax increases to denigrating climate science conclusions with utter nonsense, has brought us to this idiotic point in our politics. Prior to Gingrich, these sorts of things would have been dealt with by quiet contacts between Senators and President, regardless of Party. A disappointed Senator might have made noise about it, but holding up essential personnel or other such extreme measures? It wouldn’t have crossed their minds, in most cases.
But the days of collegial governance are gone, abolished by the ego of Gingrich[1] and his ideological inheritors, and opposition politicians can no longer hope to have a quiet talk with the Executive in hopes of getting something done. Instead, it’s all about profile and interference in a domain in which the Senate, frankly, has little official reach: foreign policy is an Executive function, with only advice and consent from the Senate.
The ego endangers a nation’s response. Can’t say it’s the first time, but it’s still a shame on the honor of these Senators.
