For those of us over the age of 30, we can likely recall the portrayal of bullies in popular television sitcoms.
The bully was always a braggart, a chest-thumper who would intimidate his peers and assert his dominance. However, the narrative never concluded with the bully triumphant. Instead, after a series of lunch money thefts, the bully would invariably find himself writhing in pain on the playground, outsmarted by the less physically imposing but more intellectually gifted protagonist.
This narrative bears a striking resemblance to the current state of the Republican Party. The GOP is rife with grandstanders who make lofty promises, yet when the pressure mounts, they often find themselves metaphorically sprawled on the ground, bewildered by their repeated failures.
Case in point: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell is currently pressuring House Speaker Mike Johnson to capitulate on border issues, arguing that the focus should be on Ukraine. However, McConnell's actions have not stopped at mere persuasion. He has reportedly betrayed Johnson by contacting Hakeem Jeffries, the leading House Democrat, in an attempt to expedite Ukraine aid as a separate vote.
McConnell informed Johnson that the Senate's foreign aid bill is the only viable option, and time is of the essence. Johnson raised concerns about the border, but McConnell urged him to set those aside and concentrate on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, approximately eight million undocumented immigrants have been encountered at the US border in recent years, causing financial and criminal chaos in American cities. Despite this, McConnell insists that the focus should be on allocating an additional $60 million to Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia. His willingness to collaborate with Democrats to bypass the Republican majority is a further cause for concern.
With President Joe Biden in office, the Republicans' leverage lies in foreign aid to Ukraine. If Johnson were to heed McConnell's advice and relinquish this leverage, any chance of a viable compromise on border security and asylum reform would evaporate. Such a move would be tantamount to political malpractice, akin to handing over the keys to the car to one's opponent and giving them everything they want without receiving anything in return.
The calculation is straightforward. If aid to Ukraine is of such importance, then Democrats should have no qualms about offering a genuine border security bill in return. McConnell's approach to the situation suggests that he values Ukraine's retention of certain territories more than he values the welfare of the Americans who elected him.
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