A 'win-win for Reagan Republicans' is 'hated by MAGA': conservative

06 February 2024

Some Never Trump conservatives, from MSNBC host Joe Scarborough to journalist and former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum, have been vehemently critical of MAGA Republicans for opposing a bipartisan deal that ties greater security at the U.S./Mexico border to military aid for Ukraine. Scarborough has been complaining that even though the proposal is a major compromise on the part of Democrats, former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) are reflexively against it.

Another Never Trumper who is frustrated with MAGA opposition to the bill is conservative Daily Beast columnist Matt Lewis.

In his February 6 column, Lewis praises the deal as an "obvious victory" for an "old-school Reagan conservative" like himself.

"It funds our allies — Israel against Hamas and Ukraine against Russia's invasion — and it tightens border security," Lewis explains. "It's a win-win. No wonder MAGA Republicans hate it."

The Daily Beast columnist continues, "A rational conservative party would leap at the chance to pass this bill. Even if you were a right-wing border hawk who won't rest until we dig an alligator-filled moat along the southern border, this deal still beats the status quo."

Lewis laments that Johnson has described the bill as "dead on arrival" in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Democrats, many of us would agree, are too soft on the border," Lewis argues. "And it's starting to hurt them politically. This has created a fleeting moment when Democrats are willing to restrict border entry — without negotiating much in return other than: (a) funding for Ukraine and (b) a talking point…. For conspiratorially minded Republican voters, compromise is a dirty word."

Lewis stresses that President Joe Biden was quite willing to negotiate — and MAGA Republicans weren't.

"If MAGA Republicans truly believe that the border crisis is an existential threat to our safety — that it will result in increased crime and a proliferation of rapists, fentanyl, and terrorists — then playing this game isn't merely about choosing to put politics ahead of policy," Lewis writes. "It's calculated immorality. Biden came to the table with a good deal that sane Republicans who still want to do the work of the people were willing to accept."

Read Matt Lewis' full Daily Beast column at this link (subscription required).

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