Opinion

Editorial: Bishop and Cawthorn's 'America First' puts freedom last

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 -- Anyone seeking a credible litmus test to determine if an officeholder truly believes in freedom, justice and civility need look no further then how they vote on aid for the Ukrainians' defense of their homes and nation against the unwarranted and unjust deadly aggression by Russia. Two North Carolinians - Republicans Dan Bishop of Charlotte and Madison Cawthorn of Hendersonville - fail the test miserably and in doing so, demonstrate they lack the humanity and integrity to represent the state or nation.

Posted Updated

CBC Editorial: Wednesday, May 18, 2022; Editorial #8761
The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company
If anyone is seeking a credible litmus test to determine if an officeholder truly believes in freedom, justice and civility, they need look no further then how they vote on aid for the Ukrainians’ defense of their homes and nation against the unwarranted and unjust deadly aggression by Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin.
Two North Carolinians – Republicans Dan Bishop of Charlotte and Madison Cawthorn of Hendersonville – fail the test miserably and in doing so, demonstrate they lack the humanity and integrity to represent the state or nation.

The death and destruction to Ukraine and its innocent people is an international travesty and a crime against humanity. It is a rare issue that has presented a nearly united front among political leaders in Washington.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Republican from Kentucky is no shrinking violet when it comes to taking a strong partisan stance.

But even McConnell was unequivocal in his support for Ukraine and for America’s need to support that nation’s defense and stand up for justice and the sovereignty of nations.

“We're all on the same team on this. The Russians need to lose. The Ukrainians need to win,” McConnell said in an interview with National Public Radio. “This is a clear example of right and wrong, of good and bad. And America and the democratic world is standing together in opposition to this brutal and completely unwarranted invasion.”

However, there is a significant contingent of Republicans in the U.S. House – Bishop and Cawthorn prominent among them – who bow to Donald Trump’s so-called "America First" approach of pulling back on support for allies overseas. The two have repeatedly opposed measures to assist Ukraine with its defense.

Most recently Bishop and Cawthorn were among just 57 House Republicans to oppose a funding package to help Ukraine with security and weapons. Bishop’s hyperpartisan statement called it an “America Last Spending Package.” While Bishop says “I support efforts to end Russia’s unprovoked attack and assist our Ukrainian allies,” he’s done little to demonstrate it.
Cawthorn has infamously called Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug” and his nation’s government “incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.”

Their sentiments might bring comfort and backing in Moscow’s Duma but certainly don’t represent the broad consensus of freedom-loving North Carolinians.

“America First” – Donald Trump’s slogan with roots in the isolationist, anti-immigration anti-Semitic slogan of opponents of U.S. involvement in efforts to oppose the aggression of the German Nazis a century ago – does not mean freedom last.

America, Cawthorn and Bishop don’t seem to realize, is the world’s beacon of freedom. Their vote is a rejection of all this nation stands for. They don’t represent the real America.

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.