Matthew Continetti at National Review Online (note: first published at Washington Free Beacon) has an article up entitled “Let Them Vote”, which is a plea for House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a vote to be held on the largely Ukraine/Israel assistance funding bill. The article is as poorly thought-through as it is cloying. From that article:
Johnson says he opposes the national-security supplemental because it fails to address the crisis on the southern border. Yet Johnson also opposed an earlier version of the supplemental that did change immigration law. And Johnson has stated, correctly, that President Biden has the power to address the border crisis on his own.
To fix the border, you need a new president — and some (not all) of the authorities contained in the legislation that the GOP rejected. To pass appropriations that bolster American defenses and enhance American security, you need Congress.
— https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/02/let-them-vote/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=river&utm_content=native-latest&utm_term=fourth
The problem in the first quoted paragraph is the drawing of a false distinction between not fixing the border and not fixing the border. “a version … that did change immigration law.” Well yes, that version did indeed change immigratiion law but by making it much worse. And the problem with the second paragraph is that it assumes the comfortable GOP stance of doing nothing until somehow magic beans allow conservative policy to win without anybody having to lift a finger.
I support Ukraine, and I lustily support Israel, but none of that holds a candle to my love for, and fury at the destruction of, the United States. The whole point of prioritizing assistance to Ukraine and yes even to Israel behind securing our own border is to literally put securing our border in first priority.
Continetti (whomever he is) dutifully tries on several pairs of shoes on this walk through persuasive techniques, all of them falling flat. There’s the “disappointed” Oxford leathers, the flowery and patriotic Wingtips, some Putin bogeyman combat boots, and of course the sandals of peace.
Continetti must think that we are stupid — we know that Biden does not want to fix the border — he wants no border! The goal is to force Biden and his cronies throughout both parties to secure our border. The GOP thinks that I will give up securing our own border in order to gain a bunch of nice-to-haves. All the nice-to-haves in the world will not get me to support amnesty, weak border security, corrupt elections, a deep state coup, or the flood of crime rampaging through our streets.
The article reads like a copy/paste job from several other pieces, all run together, and it smells like feet.
Take a hike.
