The tyranny of the GOP isolationist minority

Predictably, for a protracted conflict in a faraway nation, support for aid to Ukraine has declined since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. However, polls show that in this hyperpartisan political environment support remains substantial: About 63 percent of Americans — 77 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents, and 50 percent of Republicans — advocate sending more military hardware and supplies to Ukraine. Bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate also favor additional assistance.

A few weeks ago, Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced an amendment to a defense funding bill prohibiting all military aid to Ukraine. 93 House Republicans voted in favor of the amendment; 126 Republicans joined all 213 Democrats in defeating it. In the Senate, the proposal was dead on arrival. “If you strip out Ukrainian aid,” Senator Lindsay Graham declared, “Russia will keep going, there eventually will be a war between NATO and Russia, and it will be a green light for China to invade Taiwan.”

Nonetheless, with former President Trump leading the way, an isolationist faction of the Republican party in the House has doubled down on its “just say no” strategy. In July, Trump maintained that if elected again he would instantly bring the conflict to an end:“I would tell Zelensky, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot … I will have the deal done in one day. One day.” When Vladimir Putin praised this statement, Trump replied, “Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.”