A Maine state senator's statehouse remarks on Friday about the Ukraine war have made a big noise outside the Pine Tree State, particularly on Twitter. Eric Brakey, a self-described libertarian Republican, took advantage of a vote on a joint resolution, "Expressing Support for the People of Ukraine on the One-Year Anniversary of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine," to criticize the current Biden policy in Washington as eschewing diplomacy to prolong the war, which he said is ultimately the worst thing to happen for the people of Ukraine, and the world.
So it is not for the sake of any despot that I oppose this resolution, but for love of our country and the wisdom of early leaders, like George Washington and John Quincy Adams, who warned our country against entangling alliances, being drawn into European power struggles, and going abroad in search of monsters to destroy.
And for the love of all people caught up in this war — for the conscripted and enslaved men of Ukraine and Russia pitted against each other to the death for the benefit of oligarchs; for the many dead and displaced civilians; for those starving across the world from the consequences of war in the Ukrainian breadbasket; for those in Europe, America, and Maine freezing this winter due to natural gas shortages; and for everyone alive today and generations yet unborn who face the very real threat of nuclear annihilation — we must demand immediate diplomacy to end to this war.
Yet we see no diplomacy from Washington. In the rattling of their sabers for war with Russia, the uniparty claims it is love of democracy and hatred of tyrants that drives them.
The measure was fairly boilerplate as far as these declarations of support have gone in local and national legislative arenas since the start of the war a year ago. So despite Brakey's best efforts, the joint resolution passed both the House and Senate by huge margins. However, while Brakey was only one of four lawmakers in the senate to vote against it, there was a "testy debate" for one hour on the House side, with double digit Republicans voting against it and speaking passionately on the floor.
“In spirit, I support the people, but I cannot support continued, unchecked and unbalanced money just going out not accounted for,” said Rep. Jeffrey Adams (R-Lebanon).
“I got a son in the Army, got a son in the Navy, they’re the ones that are going to do the fighting.”
Brakey's insistence that the Russian invasion wasn't "unprovoked" — as the resolution suggested — but instead brought on in part by NATO-expansionist policy since the fall of the Iron Curtain, is sure to rankle, as it is out of step with the status quo messaging of the mainstream. And despite slippage in the polls, Americans are still strongly in favor of supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes. However, for the first time since the war began, less than 50 percent of Americans said they are in favor of sending more weapons to Kyiv.
"I have actually gotten a lot less pushback than I thought it would," he told Responsible Statecraft, referring to the video of his remarks. He acknowledged that the Twitter wave has been generated largely from supporters of his position outside of Maine. He hopes that will change and Mainers will get more and more receptive to alternative views.
"There are a few people who have insisted on name calling and pushing the party line on this issue and that's expected," he said. "But the bulk of this response has been positive."
