Posted on 06/07/2024 5:26:43 AM PDT by RandFan
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is warning isolationists within his party on the 80th anniversary of D-Day not to forget the hard-won lessons of World War II and not to fall prey to “the delusion that regional conflicts have no consequences” for the United States.
McConnell marked the anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France with a New York Times op-ed that lauded the “immense sacrifice” of American troops who stormed the Omaha and Utah beaches and scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc to capture German gun emplacements.
And he used the occasion to remind his fellow Americans and Republicans that GOP isolationists such as then-Sen. Robert Taft (R-Ohio) opposed the Lend-Lease Act and wanted to keep the United States neutral at the outset of the war.
While many lawmakers in both parties have traveled to Normandy, France, to celebrate the anniversary of D-Day, McConnell noted: “We forget how influential isolationists persuaded millions of Americans that the fate of allies and partners mattered little to our own security and prosperity.”
“We gloss over the powerful political forces that downplayed growing danger, resisted providing assistance to allies and partners, and tried to limit America’s ability to defend its national interests,” he wrote in the Times.
The Senate GOP leader, who plans to step down from his leadership role at the end of the year, says he will make it a priority to take on isolationists within his own party and to push for the rebuilding of the nation’s defense industrial base.
McConnell for months has warned about what he calls “the rise of a new axis of authoritarians made up of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
To me, the word “isolationist” means to totally cut off one’s self or one’s country from everything and everyone. That’s not what going on. We still have trade with many countries, including those who we have tense relations with. We can never be “isolationist” as McConnell likes to put it. He’s being disingenuous.
McConnell refuses to accept the fact that party of Bush is dead.
Isolation is not the same as non-intervention.
Uh, we are in an active civil war with an enemy that is doing everything it can to destroy the fabric of this country and destroy our fundamental rights and freedoms by destroy democracy and our fair election process.
The days of sitting on our hands like a good little rino are over. They have weaponized the DOJ, FBI, ATF, IRS, among other agencies and are doing their best to weaponize the US military against all non woke freedom loving patriots.
This crime is called treason. There is a defined punishment for what these bad actors in the government are doing.
...yeah...our blood, his guts.
Oh are you falling for your hero Putin’s disinformation speech, spoken to disrupt UKR’s forward attacks, to make us afraid of Russians - so for you its better to capitulate, and shout the “Better Red Than Dead” slogan
Now that makes perfect sense, and is undoubtedly correct. Thank you for the clarification.
Yes, and this is why that word was specifically deployed in the run up to World War II. “Storm clouds gathering”.
Everyone knew what was going on in Europe in the 1930s. And any sane person in America wanted no part of that. I’m not passing judgment, simply pointing out the reality as it was.
Our governments “Special” relationship with Great Britain, and also particularly a common language, I guess, meant we were allied with the “English speaking peoples” etc.
“Isolationist” was a method of dividing Americans. One of the classic methods of formal rhetoric is to impose a kind of binary duality to any contentious issue. The con is to get people thinking there are two, and ONLY two, possible courses of action to any given situation. You wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of history do you? Or - “Why do you want to Kill Grandma!?”
It is insidious, and once you know what to look for, you can’t un-see it. A modern or contemporary example would be how anyone who expresses even the slightest reservations about engaging in a major war with Russia (a nuclear weapons power, if it needs to be said) or even slightly skeptical of claims that they are “fighting for democracy” in the Ukraine is branded as “Rootin’ for Putin’ “ What’s really weird, to me - all those 60s “anti war” hippies seem to be the biggest cheerleaders here. I had great fun needling my Uncle on this. I told him “What If they Gave a War And Nobody Came” and I thought he was going to have a stroke.
“Here are your two choices. Pick one”. Jeb! Or Hillary! Nice, huh? Bush v. Clinton 3.0. THAT’s how you got Donny Two Scoops. He’s the symptom, not the cause. And that’s why “his kind must not be allowed to rise again” etc etc.
“America First” is another one from way back at that time.
I groaned when I heard it used recently, because i knew exactly how this would be portrayed in the major print and television Media outlets. See Also “Xenophobic” and they have ratcheted this up to the “Worse Than Hitler” etc etc etc; if anyone suggests that, you know, perhaps millions and millions of illegal aliens pouring across the border year after year, driving down wages (among other things) is “Racist” or whatever passive-aggressive guilt trip they are trying to hypnotize the masses with.
Another good ‘un - the word “Populist”. As every Schoolboy knows, Populism is Bad. But then, what is Democracy? Isn’t our Precious Democracy populism writ large? None of our ruling class is ever asked what these words mean. They don’t know either, because they are simply thought ending cliches, designed to end debate.
What they mean by “We’re Losing Our Democracy!”; they define “Democracy” as those myriad *institutions* that are unaccountable, unelected, and purportedly the result of “Democracy”, or something like that. They mean rule by Democrats. The public be damned.
The last thing any Democrat wants is Majority rule, with the proviso or unless and until they can get 51%, by hook or by crook. Bunch of snakes, they are.
Yes.
Taft was one of the better senators to come from OH. McC is not one of the better senators to come from KY.
I wish people in KY would wake up and not be so easily led astray by their “leaders.”
Don't forget John Bricker.
As much as I dislike Ford’s claim that John Paul Stevens was his greatest accomplishment, I am glad he pardoned Mr. Nixon.
Yes, John Bricker, who ran with Dewey in 1944; is there another good Senate Republican from OH prior to Vance? He would be a great VP pick; has star power.
The story out there is that McConnell was kicked out of the Army Reserves during Vietnam after about 6 weeks for faggotry. The official story was something to do with his eyes. An Officer from that unit was quoted as saying “yeah, he couldn’t tell men from women”.
Very well stated. And WWI was designed and created by the British Empire for over 2 decades before. And to this day they are still pushing for global war.
My grandpa was in WWI and said the British Empire was America’s worst enemy but most people simply have been too propagandized to believe it.
Nonsense, it never happened and is one of those fake internet stories.
“The rumor surfaced in 2013 on a blog hosted by the liberal political site Daily Kos, although the earliest iteration of it we could find was posted in 2004 on a blog called The Left Coaster.”
No! We cared little about the British Empire and the Empire was of no threat to us. Other then Canada - Alaskan Boundary dispute (Where did Canada end and Alaska begin?) there was little UK interest in North America. In South America there were some concerns over European intervention (UK & Germany) to force South American nations to repay their debts. We mediated. As long as there was no seizure of territory TR didn’t think there was a Monroe Doctrine violation.
The UK stumbled into WWI but did it more stupidly then we did. No one except for a few hot heads wanted war with Germany. There was a German dynasty on the English throne. The Kaiser was Victoria’s favorite grandchild. Victoria’s favorite daughter had been the previous Empress and was still alive as a sort of Empress Emeritus. She and the Kaiser’s father - Frederick II wanted to turn Germany into a constitutional monarchy - a Teutonic UK. Unfortunately, Frederick died of throat cancer 8 months into his reign. The fleet rivalry was an irritant but manageable. The German fleet was viewed by most Germans who mattered as his “toy boats”.
The UK General Staff had been having discussions with the French General Staff General Staff on mutual defense which resulted in a secret treaty. This treaty had not been coordinated with or concurred with by Parliament. Parliament didn’t even know about it! When it came to light during the infamous 37 day run up to war there was a strong but unfortunately a failing effort to repudiate it.
The things that drove the British march to war was the centuries old policy of worrying about the Channel ports, the guarantee given that the UK would maintain the sovereignty of Belgium (Biggest of the reasons!) and something that has only been brought to light recently. The possibility of a UK military coup due to anger of the British Army over the Irish Home Rule Act. Clearly some White Hall grandees thought a “short war” on the continent would keep the Army out of mischief. There are modern historians who say that tipped the balance. Rarely is there ever only one reason for war. The “coup” worries tipped the balance. If Imperial Germany had not invaded Belgium, there would have been no war. That was the only reason that was saleable to Parliament, the Public & the King. The other “concerns” would have been “worked” out politically\diplomatically. Just like had happened before!
Remember the UK had stayed out of the Franco-Prussian War. Frances’s quarrels with Germany over Alsace-Loraine were of no concern to the UK. The UK had mediated to a non-military conclusion other “damn-fool-things-in-the-Balkans” and was confident they could continue to do so. They almost succeed in putting a conference together for 1914 but again failed because of UK internal politics dragging things out (Irish Home Rule!) Then a point was reached externally where things had spiraled out of control.
They stumbled into war and our Anglophiles like Wilson made sure we stumbled in later. I think if the UK had stayed out and Germany beat France again You might has seen the national socialist idea spring up in France. The French would have another chip on their shoulder, and socialism and antisemitism (Dreyfus Affair!) has strong roots there. That would be an interesting alternative history story to write.
Give it up. It’s over. Your Neocon ‘friends’ have gotten SPANKED, badly SPANKED.
Suck it up and maybe next time the Neocons will actually PREPARE for a war, before STARTING a war.
“McConnell WARNS GOP isolationists not to forget lessons of WWII”
the lesson being that unless we start WWIII, WWIII will get started anyway through neglect?
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