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There's not really way to ask this without sounding condescending, but are you old enough to remember the Obama administration?
Because if you want to talk about not getting that Russia is THE ENEMY, then the conversation has to begin with Mitt Romney calling Russia our biggest foe, and Obama's turn-it-around re-election zinger specifically making fun of him for it.
Helpfully, I already linked the video.
Part of that was driven by the Russian Reset, a showy, futile, embarrassingly stupid effort at rapprochement made by the Obama administration towards Russia (much like their efforts towards Iran). Team Obama thought it was cringe and old-fashioned to still be mad at Russia just for being a genocidal communist tyranny. And Hilary let them personally enrich her to the tune of tens of millions donated to the Clinton Foundation and generous speaking fees to Bill, while she signed off on the things like the Russian purchase of a major uranium company.
In 2014 the idea that "Russia hates the US, the west, and democracy" was considered laughable neocon boomer anti-communist retard shit.
The reason Democrats hate Russia with the fire of a thousand suns is because they needed a scapegoat for Hilary losing in 2016, even if the efforts to blame Russia were idiotic and laughable. Putin obviously wanted Hilary to win, because he'd already bought her and knew how to fold her like a cheap table. Meanwhile, Trump occasionally says nice things, and also threatened to bomb Moscow if Putin invades Ukraine.
It's about consistency. Do you actually think the Russians are the villains of the era? Then please, show your homework essay on how insane and evil it was that Trump's predecessor and rivals were so cozy with Putin.
I do remember it but way too young to really pay much attention to or understand politics much. Regardless I don't find it a strong argument to point at how the Dems fuck up here. Yeah, maybe they are soft on Russia. That's not a good reason to be soft on Russia too, they are our enemy. They're a freedom hating west despising dictatorship.
"Other people kiss up to America's enemies so we should as well' just means more kissing up to our enemies!
That was not the American consensus position 14 years ago. It became a bit sketchy after Russian invaded Crimea in 2013, but no one wanted to go too hard on that because it was embarrassing to Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton, who were not just "soft" on Russia, but far softer than Trump has been.
"Trump kisses up to Putin" is actually just a retarded, self-serving lie, perpetrated by bad actors who were driven insane by TDS. He says nice things sometimes when he wants something from people, just like he does to Kim Jong Un and Zohran Mamdani, and other times he says mean things. And in the real world, Putin consistently launches invasions when verbally harsh, limp Democrats are in power, and sits in his lane when Trump is.
Again, as someone who does know the history here, it's hard to take your position as anything other than an isolated demand for standards, fueled by ignorance.
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