As Tucker Carlson would say: the question needs to be asked.
In light of so many Republicans regurgitating Russian talking points recently, one has to wonder: Is the Republican party rife with Russian fifth columnists?
Let us review the matter.
Russia is an adversary of the United States. If one is an adversary of the United States, what objectives would be desirable? Two obvious things come to mind.
First, you would want to kill as many Americans as possible.
Second, you would want to destabilize American society.
Have either of these objectives been furthered by the conduct of the Republican party?
As regards the first objective, let’s consider a few points.
The Covid pandemic.
What has been the general response of Republicans? They have downplayed the severity of the pandemic and, in fact, actively worked against almost all efforts to mitigate it. They have vilified those medical experts who have fought to control the pandemic and they have politicized those efforts. Many still call the pandemic a hoax.
In the last two years almost a million Americans have been killed by Covid. Hmm.
Gun violence.
The Republicans have blocked any and all attempts to combat gun violence. They have, actually, done just the opposite, working to flood our streets with guns, including weapons of war like assault rifles. In turn, they celebrate killers like Kyle Rittenhouse. We know that the NRA (should we call it what it is: Natural Russian Asset) is funneling Russian money and they have cozy ties with Russian agents. Remember Maria Butina?
In the past two years almost 100,000 Americans have been killed by gun violence. Hmm.
Climate change.
It has been the policy of the Republican party to block attempts to combat climate change. As with Covid, many call it a hoax. The destructive results have been catastrophic.
In the past two years 340,000 Americans have died due to severe climate issues. Hmm.
So in the past two years close to one and a half million Americans have died due to policies propagated by the Republican party and its pundits. Vladimir Putin must be smiling.
As regards the second objective, consider the following:
Many Republicans have claimed, without evidence, that our elections (except the ones they win) have been fraudulent. They have actively tried to undermine faith in the electoral system, thereby questioning the very legitimacy of our government. Interestingly, all reporting that counters that narrative is called (using one of Putin’s favorite terms) fake news. Meanwhile, violent rhetoric from Donald Trump, the de facto leader of the party, contributes to the destabilization of our country. This is further amplified by many Republican politicians and pundits justifying the literal storming of the U.S. capitol for the purpose of overturning an election! Could Vladimir Putin have asked for more compliant confederates?
And lastly, think about how many times you have heard Republican politicians and pundits openly support, defend and compliment Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Fox News is praised in Russia and widely broadcast. Putin must be so delighted.
In light of Russian objectives benefiting by the activities of so many Republicans, one needs to ask: Is the Republican party rife with Russian fifth columnists? Hey, I’m just asking the question.