‘Border, Border, Border!’ Mike Johnson Can Say The Word ‘Border.’ He's Very Good Speaker.
Dear God.
Republican Speaker At The Moment Mike Johnson met with President Joe Biden Wednesday to discuss Ukraine aid, and while reasonable people would prioritize stopping a literal Bond villain like Vladimir Putin before he conquers the globe, the current Republican Party is overtly pro-Blofeld. Johnson informed Biden that the MAGA mad House won’t even consider further assistance to our ally unless Democrats agree to draconian policies on the border, which would involve increased deportations and potentially more homicides.
“Before we even talk about Ukraine, I'm going to tell the president ... border, border, border,” Johnson told reporters before the meeting. “We have to take care of our own house. We have to secure our own border before we talk about anything else.”
And yet … he also says he refuses to do anything about it until there’s a Republican in the White House again. That’s some crisis!
Republicans have consistently lied that Biden has an “open border policy,” and their “evidence” is apparently all the people the Biden administration stops at the border. This isn’t to say that the situation at the border isn’t serious. It’s just not relevant to Ukraine. Imagine if Speaker Nancy Pelosi had threatened to block any vital foreign aid unless sweeping police reform or voting rights legislation was passed?
Biden patiently explained that Congress must approve funding for air defense and artillery capabilities so Ukraine can maintain its defense against Russia’s unprovoked invasion. Johnson said Republicans “need to know that Ukraine would not be another Afghanistan,” which is not a serious concern. More than 100,000 US troops served in Afghanistan at the peak of our involvement. We’re just spending money in Ukraine to avoid an eventual US military presence if an emboldened Putin attacks a NATO ally (though Republicans are all “fuck NATO” these days). I’m also tired of Republicans acting like Barack Obama personally invaded Afghanistan. The conflict began on George W. Bush’s watch.
The White House released a statement after the meeting further underscoring the stakes:
“The president discussed the strategic consequences of inaction for Ukraine, the United States and the world,” the statement said. “He was clear: Congress’s continued failure to act endangers the United States’ national security, the NATO Alliance and the rest of the free world.”
The statement also noted that Mr. Biden “made clear that we must act now to address the challenges at the border.”
Senate Republicans and Democrats are optimistic about a deal, but Johnson answers to far-right extremists in the House who reject compromise. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has reminded these fools that they’re in a position to win some concessions from Democrats that they’d never receive if Donald Trump were president again.
“If we had a 100 percent Republican government — president, House, Senate — we probably would not be able to get a single Democratic vote to pass what Senator Lankford and the administration are trying to get together on,” Mr. McConnell said before the White House meeting, referring to James Lankford of Oklahoma, the lead Republican negotiator. “So this is a unique opportunity to accomplish something in divided government that wouldn’t be there under unified government.”
Unfortunately, McConnell is a Lex Luthor Republican trying to reason with a cackling Joker House majority. They aren’t interested in actual accomplishments. They want to set everything on fire. The closest they come to a measurable objective is helping Trump win the presidency (by VOTES, which is somewhat quaint, considering most of them supported his coup).
During an appearance Wednesday night on “The Ingraham Angle,” Johnson admitted that he’s actively taking instruction from Trump, whom he speaks with “frequently.” Trump told him to oppose any deal because he doesn’t need any new legislation to lock up children secure the border. Trump’s a presidential candidate who is currently on trial for treason-related activities so it’s not a shock that he’d openly undermine the sitting government. Republicans claim the border is an escalating national security threat, but Trump wants no movement made until after the election.
That tells you everything.
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"McConnell is a Lex Luthor Republican trying to reason with a cackling Joker House majority."
This is an extremely accurate analogy. Mitch wants *orderly* evil.
I won't discuss Ukraine.
As for The Border, though. These people talk about it so much, they must be serious, right? They plan to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate those who hire ineligible labor? They're going to round up the owners and managers of farms, food processing factories, construction companies, landscaping firms, restaurants, hotels, convention centers, taxi fleets, warehouses, the app-based "gig-economy" scams, roofing contractors, etc.?
No?
Well then, they're not serious. They're just winding up the rubes.