Republicans take sides for a Trump-fueled tug of war over Russia
So the party that was once defined by its strong anti-Russian stance is caught between a Trump and a hard place: the more traditional anti-Putin hawks (who, post-Trump, have somehow found their sea legs again) vs. the still-practicing Trumpist isolationists (with some fanaticism thrown in).
Sad to say, the GOP created this distasteful stew, and now the party is stuck with it. So what to do?
“The Republicans I work with are barely even commenting on this stuff. They ignore them,” says a Senate Democrat involved in foreign policy. “The folks who spent the last four years in the thrall of Trump are struggling how to reset as a party,” he adds. ‘Those who are unwilling are in full isolationist mode.”
For those who choose to remain in Trump’s thrall, it’s easy. Stick with it and see where it gets you. Just take the policy-free route and complain about Biden’s weakness. It’s probably going to work in GOP primaries: A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that just 6% of Republicans trust Biden to negotiate with Putin. Three-quarters of Democrats had faith in his abilities.
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