The 'Progressives' In Congress Are Useless Wimps

 

moon of alabama

Progressives urge Biden to push harder for Ukraine peace talks - 10/24/22 3:47 PM ET - The Hill

Thirty progressive House lawmakers wrote a letter to President Biden on Monday urging him to consider directly engaging with Russia and to become more assertive in negotiating a cease-fire in Ukraine.
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All 30 signatories have voted for more than $50 billion in various forms of assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and in the letter expressed no regrets for doing so, tying the aid to Ukrainian military successes.
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“We are under no illusions regarding the difficulties involved in engaging Russia given its outrageous and illegal invasion of Ukraine and its decision to make additional illegal annexations of Ukrainian territory,” they wrote. “However, if there is a way to end the war while preserving a free and independent Ukraine, it is America’s responsibility to pursue every diplomatic avenue to support such a solution that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine.”

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Progressive Caucus tries to clarify call for Biden to find diplomatic solution to Ukraine - 10/24/22 8:43 PM ET - The Hill

The Congressional Progressive Caucus on Monday evening sought to couch a statement from earlier in the day requesting that President Biden shift his administration’s policies on Ukraine and start some form of negotiations with Russia.
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“Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support,” [Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)] added.

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Progressives ‘didn’t consider election timing’ with letter on Biden’s Ukraine strategy - 10/25/22 11:22 AM ET - The Hill

Progressives worked over the summer to get nearly three dozen House Democrats to sign off on a letter that would call into question President Biden’s handling of Ukraine and urge him to engage diplomatically with Russia, according to two sources directly familiar with the negotiations.
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“They waited to get about 30 and released,” one source texted The Hill on Tuesday morning, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal negotiations. “Didn’t consider election timing.”

A House aide said the letter was “circulated for signatures” in June. “We aren’t sure why it was released now.”

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Progressive Caucus withdraws letter on Ukraine strategy amid blowback - 10/25/22 1:03 PM ET - The Hill

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the caucus chairwoman, wrote in a statement, representing a stunning shift in their call for a diplomatic push to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this,” Jayapal wrote.

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An ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with a top progressive Democrat says there's no chance she didn't vet the controversial Ukraine letter. 'She keeps a tight grip on media relations' - 10/25/22 3:10 PM ET - Business Insider

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal withdrew a controversial letter to President Joe Biden on Ukraine, saying it was drafted months ago and "unfortunately was released by staff without vetting."

But a former Hill staffer who worked closely with her office called the idea "absurd" that a release left her office without her approval.
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A current senior Democratic aide familiar with her office operations also told Insider, "There is no way that Pramila Jayapal doesn't know every word that leaves her office."

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Progressives go on damage control after Ukraine diplomacy letter - 10/25/22 5:04 PM ET - The Hill

Few progressives on Tuesday were willing to defend Jayapal or the Progressive Caucus’s messages, particularly as they shifted over the past two days.

Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), in an interview with Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, noted that while she was a progressive, she was not a signatory to the letter. She deflected a question about whether sending it had been a mistake.

Others privately took shots at Jayapal, arguing the misstep was part of a broader problem.

Posted by b on October 26, 2022 at 10:24 UTC | Permalink

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