Republicans love -- just loooove -- to tell us how much they love, love, love Israel and stand by Israel. Never mind that the reason they loooove Israel has next to nothing about Israel as an ally of the United States in the Middle East, but because of the (of course) Bible and End Times. Because Israel is where the final conflagration will take place, and it will go up in flames and all the Jews there will go up in flames, unless they convert to Christianity. But putting that aside, Republicans still love, love, love Israel and love telling us how much they loooooobe Israel. One of the very first things new, unanimous GOP Speaker Mike Johnson did -- after telling us he was ordained by God to be Speaker -- was release a photo of him on the telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling the P.M. that he loved Israel and stood by Israel. Because Republicans in Congress just love, love, love Israel. All Republicans do. Including the leader of the party. Just this past Saturday, in a speech in Las Vegas, Trump cried out how much he looooves Israel: "The United States will stand with Israel," he shouted. "ALL the way, 100% without hesitation, without qualification and without any apology, we're not going to be apologizing." That said, when President Biden put forth his aid package for Israel, Ukraine and the border, House Republicans wanted to separate Israel from that -- never mind that Ukraine is fighting for democracy against Russia which is not just one of the main enemies of the Untied States, but also one of Israel's enemies, so much so that when a plane from Jerusalem landed the other day in Russia, the passengers were attacked with police pretty much just watching. And never mind that for the past six years (if not longer), Republicans have been shouting from rooftops about how the biggest national security crisis for America is protection at the southern border. But House Republicans chose to separate Israel from everything else in the aid package because they really love Israel so very, very much that it had to stand alone!!! Of course, when it came time to actually put up a bill in the House for that standalone aid to Israel, it turned out not to be so...well, totally standalone as you'd think. Rather, House Republicans had a pesky rider attached to it. A "qualification" you might call it. The GOP proposed bill offsets $14.3 billion in aid to Israel with (are you ready...) a cut of $14.3 billion from IRS!! Yes, really. That's home truly important the GOP considers its deep love of Israel. House Republicans say they will only support Israel (who they insist they loooooooove) if we take away $14.3 billion earmarked for the Internal Revenue Service as mandated in the Inflation Reduction Act. Money that will help reduce the national debt by collecting unpaid money from the wealthiest Americans who have been cheating on their taxes. Which means, of course, that even putting aside they House Republicans are attaching an offset before they'll pass an emergency aid bill for Israel, who they insist they loooove, as a matter of national security -- but their offset not only won't pay for the aid to Israel (who they insist they love, love, love), but cutting money from funding to the IRS for collection of the wealthiest tax cheats will actually increase the debt! As Joe Scarborough put on his Morning Joe show -- "We'll protect the Jews if you protect the billionaires. We want billionaire tax cheats to get away with stealing more money from the American people. We'll let you protect the Jews, Joe Biden, but you have to let us protect our donors, our billionaire donors that are tax cheats.'" Or as Rep. Ted Lieu (my Congressman) wrote on social media -- "Dear @HouseGOP: You are conditioning aid to Israel. Never before has Congress required an offset for foreign aid. And your offset protecting billionaires would actually increase costs. Why are you singling out Israel for differential treatment, during her greatest hour of need?" So much for no "qualifications". And not "hesitating". But then, that's because -- aside from being lying, disingenuous hypocrites -- it turns out that there is one thing that Republicans love, love, looooove more than Israel and Biblical End Times, and that's cutting taxes for the wealthiest millionaires, billionaires and corporations. Even if it comes at the cost of national security. Because this GOP bill does. Democrats in the Senate have already said it is a non-starter. The White House also put out a memo which said, in part -- "...after the worst terrorist attack in its history, House Republicans are engaging in a dangerous political stunt that for the first time in American history demands emergency national security funding be fully offset." It adds that by their actions, Republicans are "politicizing our national security interests" which would "set an unacceptable precedent that jeopardizes the United States’ ability to reliably support Israel’s self-defense into the future." But still, putting national security aside -- and Israel's security aside -- Republicans insist that they just love, love, loooove Israel. It turns out that it's just Israelis who Republicans don't seem to care much for. Especially those who burn and go to Hell.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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