Tillis did it again

Tillis made bold statements last week but cowered this week. He's so predictable.

Just last week, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis stood on the floor of the Senate claiming that he stands with Ukraine and bashing Vladimir Putin as “a liar, a murderer, and responsible for the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians.” He refused to criticize Donald Trump, even though Tillis made his speech in response to the President criticizing Zelensky and blaming him for the war. This week, as Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelensky in the Oval Office on national television, Tillis was nowhere to be found.

Tillis has done it again. He made hollow remarks that liberals and the media applauded, then failed to stand by his convictions. When Zelensky and Ukraine really needed support and when he might have been able to influence his fellow Republicans, Tillis said nothing. He cowered in fear of Donald Trump’s disapproval. Trump exposed how little Thom Tillis and his words matter.

Tillis is a man with no core. He knows what is right, often even says it, but does what he knows is wrong to protect his own political career. He puts politics before people and, this time, he’s putting fear of a Republican primary before the Ukrainian people.

Unfortunately, Tillis is not alone. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina may be the most malleable member of the Senate. (What does Donald Trump have on Lindsey?) Just two weeks before the Oval Office ambush, Graham called Zelensky, “the ally I've been hoping for all my life.” On Friday, he called on him to resign.

Marco Rubio, who sat in the Oval Office meeting looking like a scared kid, praised Trump in a statement clearly written by the President’s press office. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard blasted Zelensky, blaming him for the war. Her statement sounded like it was written by Putin’s press office. Thom Tillis bragged about his vote to give Gabbard access to our most sensitive information.

Republicans clearly haven’t paid any attention to history. They are engaged in appeasement. They are giving dictators and would-be dictators what they want in an effort to satisfy their desires, but strongmen cannot be satiated. Their appetite is driven by power and domination. They see appeasement as surrender and they will take until they are stopped.

Neville Chamberlain learned the hard way when he surrendered portions of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in exchange for “peace for our time.” Six months later, Hitler occupied the rest of the country. A year later, he invaded Poland. Appeasement didn’t stop World War II. It led to it.

Putin will no more be satisfied with part of Ukraine now than he was when he took territory in 2014. He will see any territory that Ukraine surrenders as evidence of his power and the West’s weakness. To end the war, Russia must feel pain, not victory. That’s the only way to stop him. European countries who have dealt with Russian aggression for centuries understand this.

Likewise, Trump will continue to usurp power from Congress until somebody stops him. Cowards like Thom Tillis and Lindsey Graham only serve to empower him with their appeasement. Their bold statements don’t mean anything unless they are followed up with action.

My favorite quote of the year so far summarizes the Republican Members of Congress. “So many of these guys want to be John McCain but ultimately they’re just Thom Tillis.” The GOP is a coalition of cowards, grifters, and fascists. There appear to be no heroes among them.