Which Country Will Putin's Republicans Vote To Give Him Next?

God it's just so appalling.

Lately it seems like if it is a day in the Congress, Democratic leadership is giving Republicans as many chances as possible to affirm that they're on the side of goodness and freedom and not Vladimir Putin.

And a lot of Republicans are going along with it! Congratulations, a lot of Republicans!

Right now, there is some weird shit happening in Transnistria, a region of Moldova. Moldova is a sovereign nation that shares borders with Ukraine, Romania, and Not Even A Little Bit Russia. And look, Transnistria is weird. It's a tiny breakaway region. According to that last link, Moldovans make fun of it for being totally backward. But there are worries Russia is looking to expand its murderous game of grabass with sovereign nations into Moldova. There have been explosions in Transnistria. Nobody's really sure what's up. Sounds like Russia might be trying to do some false-flagging, blaming Ukraine for attacking poor Transnistria.

So this week, the House held a pretty simple vote, "[e]xpressing support for Moldova's democracy, independence, and territorial integrity and strengthening United States and Moldova relations." Literally, you could put any free country in there, except for how Moldova is the one some are worried Putin is training his beady little eyes and his overfilled cheeks toward right now. Just hey, here's a resolution saying we like your democracy and we like you and let's be friends.

Seventeen Republicans voted against that. 

17 Republicans vote against “Expressing support for Moldova's democracy, independence, and territorial integrity and strengthening United States and Moldova relations”pic.twitter.com/XBDv9Wjizx

— Acyn (@Acyn) 1651094062 

What the goddamn fuck?

This is what the goddamn fuck. JoeMyGod shares this tweet, a list of the usual suspects:

17 Russian Republican members of the US House vote to surrender Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova to Putin: Biggs Bishop Boebert Cawthorn Cloud Clyde Gosar Greene Harris Hice Higgins Massie Nehls Norman Perry Roy Steube

— Tristan Snell (@Tristan Snell) 1651114820 

You got Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn and Marjorie Taylor Greene, AKA the remedial learners of the newest class of Republicans. You've got Clay "WHAR BOXES!" Higgins and Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar and Andrew Clyde and Chip Roy and Greg Steube and all the rest. It's just the whole entire Sedition Caucus, that's who.

This is all kind of a thing.

When it was time to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus in April, the entire Congress voted for it, except three Republicans: Matt Gaetz, Greene, Massie. (Guess Gaetz is cool with Moldova for some reason.)

When it was time to ban oil imports from Russia, 413 House members said yes. Nine said no, including Republicans Gaetz, Greene, Massie, Gosar, Roy, Dan Bishop and Andy Biggs. (And then there were two Democrats, Ilhan Omar and Cori Bush. We noticed.)

An earlier similar resolution in March was opposed by 15 Republicans.

Just a simple resolution backing Ukraine in March? That was fine with everyone except Gosar, Massie and Matt Rosendale.

The exact list of usual suspects in Putin's caucus changes a bit depending on exactly what the bill or resolution is. But that caucus is there, and as William Saletan wrote earlier this month at The Bulwark, it really really loves Russia, and it really really really hates America.

And now they hate Moldova, we guess. We also imagine the number of hours that elapsed between "finding Moldova on map" and voting against Moldova was in the single digits for several of them. You can guess which several we're wildly speculating about.

Can't wait until the House has to vote on Sweden and Finland in NATO. How much Putin-fluffing will there be then?

[ Independent ]

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