It seems that the far-right has already crossed over to endorse a dictator leading our great nation. Fox’s Tucker Carlson is quite fond of dictators, actually. He even went to Budapest, Hungary to broadcast his show. Why? He so admires Hungary’s dictator Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who seized power 11 years ago. A Republican representative went on Carlson’s show to argue for democracy, and things went very wrong.
In the past few days, Russia has elevated its presence at its Ukraine border. President Joe Biden’s people have warned Moscow to back off, saying the buildup would be a “serious mistake,” according to The Daily Beast. Putin seized Crimea, which is a part of Ukraine, and the two countries have been up in arms ever since.
Mike Turner (R-OH) appeared on Fox News’ show and discovered the depth of Carlson’s betrayal of our American Constitution. The Ohio representative ended up trying to explain why we would rather have Ukraine as our ally than Russia. Life in Russia has been cold since its President aka dictator Vladimir Putin sucked all the power into his quarter, And that coldness does not just refer to its climate.
Most of us had not been able to get our heads around the idea that Carlson and others like him like the idea of living under a “xenophobic, anti-LGBTQ authoritarian” Orbán as The Business Insider described him:
‘Many American conservatives admire Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a xenophobic, anti-LGBTQ authoritarian who’s been in power for 11 years and who endorsed President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign last year. They see Orbán as a more effective version of Trump — and a model for the future of right-wing politics in the US.’
Oddly enough, Carlson was in Hungary to “promote Orbán’s nationalism and antidemocratic approach to governance.” Experts in authoritarianism “are concerned.” A Morning Consult poll showed that over 25 percent of Americans have “right-wing authoritarian political beliefs.”
Turner was on the primetime Fox show to talk to Carlson about America’s relationship with the Ukraine. The Ohio legislator and 14 other Republican legislators wrote to President Joe Biden on Congressional letterhead. They wanted him “‘to immediately provide support to the Ukrainians after satellite images showed a buildup of Russian military forces along Ukraine’s northern border.”
Carlson started off with:
‘I wonder if you could explain to them [Americans] why it is in America’s interest that their kids risk their lives in Ukraine.’
Turner explained why the U.S. is a Ukraine ally and:
‘[A]lluded to the Budapest Memorandum signed by the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine (among other states) in 1994. Russia violated that agreement when it annexed Crimea in 2014.’
Carlson argued:
‘So the lesson of 20 years in Afghanistan and the tragic and cowardly and counterproductive exit from Afghanistan is that we need more troops in Ukraine. So why should the average American care about the territorial integrity of Ukraine, sincerely?’
The talking head continued:
‘But why is it incredibly important to Americans? I mean, I know from a Ukrainian perspective it’s incredibly important, but why is it important enough to risk American lives to preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine when by the way our own territorial integrity has been flagrantly violated by a million foreign nationals coming in over the past 10 months?’
Turner was explaining why he believed we should help Ukraine with both weapons and intelligence:
‘I think what you’re missing is the fact that because the president has failed in Afghanistan, both Russia and China are looking at threatening their neighbors, including Taiwan, including Ukraine, countries that are important to both our allies and to the strategic importance of the areas in which they are.’
Carlson was having none of it:
‘But hold on. Why would we take Ukraine’s side and not Russia’s side…Why would we take Ukraine’s side? Why wouldn’t we be on Russia’s side? I’m totally confused.’
Turner was giving as well as he getting:
‘Maybe if you get out a map and you look to see where the Black Sea is and Romania, where we have our missile defense system…’
‘Ukraine is a democracy. Russia is an authoritarian regime that is seeking to impose its will upon a validly elected democracy in Ukraine and we’re on the side of democracy. That’s what people were chasing those planes Afghanistan and wouldn’t be chasing Russian ones.’
The Fox host was not sure he supported democracies:
‘I guess I’m for democracy in other countries. I guess…And our continuation of the Cold War has pushed Russia toward China, and that does not serve our interests in any way. Does it?’
Carlson did not get why he should care about Crimea, so the representative told him:
‘You care because what Russia is doing as they are rebuilding their area access of denial with Kaliningrad, Crimea. You should be against – I’m sure you are, Tucker…’
Was Carlson just having a mentally deficit night or did he really not get what the representatives’ letter was about. But finally, it clicked in his brain:
‘I got it. Send lawyers, guns, and money. Where are the Republicans demanding that we send 101st [Airborne Division] or whatever it takes to close the border?’
Turner ended with:
‘[Y]ou need a little education on Ukraine. I’d be glad to send you some stuff on it. Donald Trump thought it was important and I supported Donald Trump’s policies there.’
Or maybe Carlson just prefers dictators and their power.
Three White Lions podcast, Gloria Christie reads her week’s most important news/ commentary stories in the liberal online newspaper The Bipartisan Report. Gloria Christie Report her newsletter for people on the go. Written in her own unique style with a twist of humor in a briefer version of Bipartisan Report. Christie’s Mueller Report Adventures In Bite-Sizes a real-life compelling spy mystery. Find her here on Facebook.
