CPAC: Why Republicans and Trump suddenly have an unexpected Putin problem
By Richard Hall and Andrew Feinberg
In the five years since Vladimir Putin ordered Russian hackers to break into Democratic National Committee email systems and conduct a widespread social media campaign to boost Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the idea that the Russian dictator was an ally of the Republican Party gained widespread traction among Democrats.
Such a notion is a 180-degree reversal from the Russia-averse stance held by the GOP under previous presidents, with many Republicans citing Ronald Reagan’s role in bringing down what he called the USSR’s “Evil Empire” as an achievement on par with Abraham Lincoln’s effort to win the US civil war in the 1800s.
Yet the idea that the GOP is aligned with Moscow has remained an article of faith among some Democratic activists, who’ve pointed to statements by Mr Trump lavishing praise on Mr Putin.
It was that partisan sentiment – and Mr Trump’s recent decision to call Mr Putin a “genius” recognizing two break-away regions of eastern Ukraine ahead of his all-out assault – that led a Democratic political action committee to hire an airplane to tow a banner reading “Putin Welcomes CPAC to Orlando” above the Florida site of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, where Mr Trump is set to speak on Saturday.
But Mr Putin’s order to invade Ukraine and shatter the peace Europe has enjoyed since 1945 may have cost him what little support he has had among the Republican grassroots.
A few Republican bold-faced names – such as ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his former boss, Mr Trump – have been willing to lavish praise upon the Russian dictator over the last few weeks, and in the days since the invasion rank-and-file GOP officeholders have been far more likely to blame US President Joe Biden for the Russian attack, rather than attribute responsibility to the Russian president.
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Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Monday, February 28th 2022 at 8:18PM
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