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Its similar to the "reversed stupidity is not intelligence." Biden just got into office and reflexively repealed a bunch of high profile Trump actions without seeming to engage in any thoughts about the merits and tradeoffs relating to any of those policies. So what you got was floods of new asylum claims, funding going to a bunch of terrorists, etc.
US foreign policy is schizophrenic. Why would anyone want to negotiate with the US at this point? Obama takes great pains to advance diplomacy with Iran and join the TPP - Trump immediately reneges on the nuclear deal and leaves the TPP - maximum pressure and trade wars! Biden wants to go back to Obama policies on Iran and climate. Why should anyone trust in his word when the next guy can negate it?
Trump wants to throw Ukraine under the bus. Well, fair enough. May as well get off the sinking ship in a lifeboat rather than swim in the cold. But it's still not consistent, it's confused and certainly does Zelensky no good.
Because we are the 1000 lb gorilla. But more seriously, this is all caused by Presidents thinking they can make foreign policy solo. Wars are supposed to be declared by Congress. Treaties are supposed to be approved by 2/3 of the Senate. If Obama wanted to make a serious nuclear deal with Iran he should have gotten 2/3 of the senators on board, not done a deal he knew 54 senators were opposed to. This sort of unserious flipping happens when a President tries using foreign policy to secure victories on domestic policy.
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The pro-migrant and internationalist left flank had not gotten fully humiliated by the migrant busses and Afghanistan yet, and that wing wanted their pound of flesh upfront.
That wing is still at the same place even after the've been "humiliated". They are incapable of that emotional state.
That wing however is capable of having its impotence exposed, and that has lead to their rantings being dismissed. Jayapal is no longer the force she used to be, and the Squad is little more than a punching bag for right wing shock jocks. They have no political cachet to demand more pounds of flesh up front, and their continual failures are as much due to republican successes as much as their own allies failing to back them up.
Uhh? Biden's whole Mid East policy is based on pandering to that wing. They have a lot of cachet.
My assessment stems from Jayapal getting smacked down for her October 2022 call for Ukraine to surrender, and how the new Israel ceasefire statement is made by Pogan instead of her. The CPC is the largest caucus, sure, but Biden seems to occasionally coincide with their priorities rather than wait on them. My main indicator is how neutered Jayapal specifically is despite her stated ambitions, and I will be happy to reevaluate my conclusions based on evidence of either Jayapals nonrelevance to the CPC or Jayapals wing being specifically catered to.
Jayapal is the chair of the CPC, but doesn't appear to reflect progressive consensus on Ukraine, which is that defeating Russia is super important.
Doesn't reflect the consensus now, following the backlash to her Quincy Institute orchestrated/backed/supported/cheerlead letter demanding Biden negotiate with Russia and force Ukrainian concessions.
Following the backlash the CPC fell in line, but never really backed away from its 'US foreign policy bad everyone else just wants to be peaceful' stance. I point to how Pocan (not Pogan, sorry) now has to put his name front and center for the CPC letter demanding Israel cease actions, which Biden is edging towards. That Biden is leaning to the view of the Jayapal-minimized CPC on Israel and not on Ukraine might be due to a fairer assessment of CPC on Ukraine making it more anti-Russia or any of the other permutations I'm too lazy to elucidate. I specifically stated that the CPC is not the dominating force it once was, but I am happy to consider other facts (such as the above clarification that the CPC always supported Ukraine) to reevaluate my assessment of the CPCs present and past influence.
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