Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHey DanaRussianbacker - elections have consequences
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/11/12/a-not-so-fond-farewell-to-dana-rohrabacher-putins-best-friend-in-congress/?utm_term=.86b926ea69f4It took a while for Orange County, Calif., to count all the mail-in votes, but officials there did it. The result: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) will be leaving Congress after 15 terms in the House. So as he leaves the stage, lets spend a little bit of time saying goodbye to Rohrabacher, the soon-to-be ex-congressman from Californias 48th District. For Rohrabacher is, in his way, quite an important symbolic figure: He is the living, breathing embodiment of the moral corruption that has seeped into a part of the Republican Party foreign policy establishment the part that long ago stopped caring about U.S. leadership of the democratic world.
He started his career as a Reaganite. But Rohrabacher long ago up gave pretending that he has any interest in freedom, or democracy, or even the Western alliance. For much of the past decade, he has served as the voice of foreign autocrats in Congress. Egged on by Natalia Veselnitsksaya the Russian lawyer who met with Paul Manafort, Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner, and offered them dirt on Hillary Clinton Rohrabacher fought, for example, against the Magnitsky Act and its successor, the Global Magnitsky Act, the legislation that targets human rights violators and kleptocrats from Russia and elsewhere with individual sanctions. At one point, he arranged to show an infamous Russian propaganda film, smearing the Magnitsky Act and its main promoter, Bill Browder, in Congress. When Rep. Edward R. Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee, blocked him from doing so, Rohrabachers office instead promoted the films showing at the Newseum.
None of this was a secret, and at some level, congressional Republicans have long been uncomfortable about Rohrabachers role. Infamously, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the then-House majority leader, once told a group of congressman that Theres two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump. But they never stopped him.
When the newly elected Democratic House opens for business, it might consider having a look at the role played by lobbyists for authoritarian politicians in Congress, with a particular emphasis on the role they played influencing Rohrabacher and his committee.
Any one of those newcomers would make a fine replacement for Rohrabacher on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. As the party of Ronald Reagan and John McCain abdicates its old international role, we need Democrats with real-world foreign policy experience to ensure that Congress goes on serving Americas interests, not the interests of Americas enemies.
------------------------------
Enjoy the celebrations today - and try on your prison suit.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
5 replies, 1115 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (15)
ReplyReply to this post
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Hey DanaRussianbacker - elections have consequences (Original Post)
malaise
Jan 2019
OP
oasis
(49,426 posts)2. Get outta Dodge, dude and stay out. Putin lovin' mofo.
Turbineguy
(37,372 posts)3. 30 years.
He should be vested in the Russian retirement scheme. Too bad Putin lowered the benefits. But then again, as a republican Rohrabacher would approve.
aquamarina
(1,865 posts)4. This horrible person has been my congressman for years.
Today is going to be a very happy day for me.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,467 posts)5. one more Russiapublican gone