I agree with most of your points but I don’t admire some of the things the listed politicians do and say in their all-out defense of Trump and his narcissism.
I would certainly not call their collective support for Trump and some of his more controversial contentions as an "all-out" defense of Trump and his narcissism. In all honesty, how familiar are you with the political ideologies of Hawley, Gaetz or some of the others mentioned? How much have actually listened to them beyond some of the talking points the media so often uses to frame them in a certain light? They have a lot more consequential things to say about our eroding republic beyond Trump. I'll happily take a little "revolutionary" leaning rhetoric over blind silence any day.
I am indeed a staunch eighties era Reagan Republican. That is exactly why these self-promoting blowhards are so offensive. They are able to practice their prattle because enough Republicans are doing what is necessary with respect to our actual national interests that they are free to play to the far right Trump base. I think Gaetz and Hawley are actually fairly bright (well, with respect to the speakership - perhaps not Gaetz) and are simply using their microphones to try to advantage themselves as potential heir apparents to that voting block. That strikes as the height of cynicism. MTG is a reflection of AOC in republican clothing. Their combined IOQ might represent a form of plant life.
With all due respect as always, I simply do not agree.. Frankly, the republican party was just as swampy and useless before the Reagan reformations, and the democrats were just as swampy and corrupt, but not all completely insane as they are now.
Furthermore, your assessment of the new so-called "Ultra-MAGA" republicans' agenda doesn't reflect their collective actions. Most, if not all of these people do not come from political backgrounds, and none of them got wealtherier since their public service. So what advantages are they seeking exactly? They appeal to the far right base because that is reflective of their constituency. And, is it not after all the actual job of an elected representative to carry out the will of their constituents? I realize that is a rhetorical question, but it shouldn't be.. It's a sad reflection of what this government has mutated into, and what these kind of representatives are trying to change in D.C... I'll take a hundred, Hawley's, Gaetz's, Bobert's, Lake's or Vance's for that matter before a McConnell or McCarthy.
And, if you are being serious rather than facetious, your comparison of MTG's intelligence to AOC is laughable.. MTG is only abrasive and offensive to those who view her as a threat. She is a self-made small businesswoman who has done well representing the priorities that her constituents elected her to press.. AOC is an ass-clown. A human caricature in every sense. She has built nothing. She contributes nothing. C'mon.. You know better..
As I noted earlier, my experience and understanding of international relations and what constitutes my country's national interests are not so nuanced that supporting Russian territorial ambitions and strategic goals over the self determination of a European state aspiring for a place in the democratic West makes any sort of sense.
My post to you made no direct inference to the Ukraine war. It had to do with our current elected officials' and their dysfunctional sense of priorities for the American people and the United States of America which happens to be in the middle of a multitude of national crises in case anyone forgot..
Point being that the Ukraine-Russian war, and whatever extent of an existential threat to U.S national security it is perceived to be, has to be measured into and against domestic and foreign threats both existential and current. Unfortunately, that is not happening, and lots of Americans, including myself are only asking why? Many of us only want to understand why we are sending lifeboats to Europe when we have a thousand leaks in our ship here at home..
Your military experience has undoubtedly shaped your opinions on foreign policy much in the same as my cynicism and contempt for this incompetent government has shaped mine. I don't think that makes either of us wrong, but we definitely see our priorities for the American people differently. I guess my point is that I have a hard time worrying too much about any sort of Russian expansion in Europe over the next several decades when our own economy, culture, and founding principles are collapsing before our very eyes. And, no I don't think I am being hyperbolic.. On that note, Happy New Year!
