NWGa candidates weigh in on Ukraine

Candidates in Northwest Georgia’s 14th District congressional race weighed in last week on the war in Ukraine, rejecting — regardless of political party — the hands-off approach taken by incumbent Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

As the fighting in Ukraine heads into the second month, the United States and its allies are considering what further steps they should take to halt the aggression by Russian

President Vladimir Putin.

While President Joe Biden has taken the lead on U.S. decisions thus far, Congress holds the sole authority to declare war. Additionally, the legislative body’s support is vital for funding and other mechanisms required to carry out any plans.

Voters in Polk and the other 10 counties in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District will decide this year who will represent their views on the federal level.

First up are the May 24 party primaries where Republicans and Democrats will choose their nominee to run in the Nov. 8 general election. The Libertarian Party has already selected Angela Pence as its candidate.

Republicans seeking to oust Greene in that primary are Seth Synstelien, Jennifer Strahan, Charles Lutin, James Haygood and Eric Cunningham.

Democrats vying in that party’s primary are Holly McCormack, Marcus Flowers and Wendy Davis.

All 10 candidates were asked by the Rome News-Tribune to explain their position on the conflict in up to 400 words. The responses received by deadline follow Greene’s in alphabetical order:

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE

Greene, the incumbent 14th District representative, is being challenged in the Republican primary.

There is no doubt that Mr. Putin’s actions in Ukraine are despicable and evil. We weep when we see images of men, women and children wounded or killed. But we cannot and we must not allow our compassion to blind us

to reason and common sense.

A potential war with Russia is not comparable to Iraq or Afghanistan. This is an 8-yearlong, smoldering conflict in which peace agreements have been routinely violated by both sides. It concerns a country in which President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Mitt Romney have direct financial interests — a country whose government only exists because the Obama State Department helped to overthrow the previous regime.

The ugly truth is that America is in no shape to throw herself into another foreign conflict. Under Mr. Biden, America’s economy is weak and dependent on foreign nations for goods and even for energy.

When my constituents from Georgia call into my office here in Washington, there is only one thing on their minds. Hardworking Americans living paycheck to paycheck don’t care about foreign wars or foreign borders. They care about the gas prices they are paying. They care about runaway inflation and the fact that a used car or truck costs 40% more today than it did last year.

I will not vote to spend hardearned American tax dollars in foreign nations when people are hurting back home.

Mr. Biden’s sanctions aren’t working. They’re just pushing Russia even closer to China. Every move the Biden administration has made has hurt Americans and helped Mr. Putin.

Mr. Biden created the conditions for Mr. Putin’s invasion into Ukraine when he lifted the sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline a year ago. So, we began this process from a position of weakness. We can end it in strength, but not by providing guns or cash. Our nation can start to repair its tattered international reputation and protect its own citizens by bringing Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin to the negotiating table and fulfilling America’s promise as an arbiter of peace.

We can do all this without sending a dime and without shipping bombs to further inflame a war whose outcome already seems certain. We can do it without risking the dollar and therefore risking our economy, our jobs and our homes. And we must do it, I believe, as Christians, to prevent any more human suffering and death.

WENDY DAVIS

Davis, a political consultant and former Rome city commissioner, is a candidate in the Democratic primary.

Vladmir Putin’s unwarranted and illegal attack on Ukraine and the Ukrainian people is an affront to anyone who supports democracy and the right of all people to selfdetermination. The United States should continue to lead the international community in condemning Russian aggression, enforcing sanctions, and bringing about an end to this crisis that guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty.

This should all be non-controversial. America has always stood for freedom and against tyrants.

Many of us remember Ronald Reagan going to Berlin 35 years ago and demanding the Russian leader “tear down this wall.” Those words ushered in an era of freedom and democracy in the former Soviet bloc, and Americans were united and proud of our president’s leadership.

How far we have come, and how disappointed I am in our Congresswoman.

In the early days of Russia’s campaign against the Ukrainian people, Marjorie Taylor Greene headlined a white nationalist conference where the crowd cheered Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

From there, it’s only gotten worse. In explaining her vote against funding humanitarian and military aid, Greene told the Ukrainian people to give up hope, calling a Russian victory inevitable. She has repeated Putin’s talking points accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the grandson of Holocaust survivors — of Nazism. And she was one of a handful of members of Congress who voted against limiting Russia’s ability to trade with the United States.

The Russians have a term for someone they can manipulate to unwittingly do their bidding.

They call those people “useful idiots,” and Putin seems to have found one in Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Putin has shown time and again that he is willing to go to any lengths in his quest for more power. I cannot fathom a member of the United States Congress cheering Russia’s dictator, let alone serving as his mouthpiece in opposition to American ideals. Maybe she is seeking a starring role on Russian TV?!

Americans believe innocent people shouldn’t be subjected to an invasion of their country, that innocent people shouldn’t have their homes bombed, shouldn’t have to bury their children. In matters of war and peace involving our national security, I expect our political leaders to stand united for democracy.

I stand with Americans of almost every political stripe in opposing the Russian tyrant Putin’s invasion of a sovereign, democratic Ukraine. We should take all steps to further isolate Russia and support President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people.

MARCUS FLOWERS

Flowers, a Bremen veteran and former military contractor, is vying in the Democratic primary.

I stand squarely on the side of freedom with the people of Ukraine. There is no question that the Ukrainian people are fighting for their survival and right to self-determination against an authoritarian bent on ending their experiment in democracy.

It is absolutely necessary that we must use all four levers of our national power to support the Ukrainian government: diplomatic, informational, economic, and military. All of this can be done without direct U.S. and NATO military engagement with Russia and expanding this war in unfathomable directions.

I am proud of how President Biden is leading an international coalition and uniting NATO in a global fight for freedom.

I have seen firsthand the importance of our NATO alliance as I have been on numerous NATO training missions in my career. We must continue to put pressure on Putin and support Ukraine in every way possible, including giving them whatever aircraft and air defense systems they desire. They must be equipped to fight Russia as necessary without NATO or U.S. involvement. There is a stark line that cannot be crossed by Russia, and I firmly stand by the NATO charter and believe Article 5 cannot be crossed. Any attack on a NATO nation is an attack on all.

This war is about one thing: democracy vs. autocracy. As a veteran, and candidate who decided to run after the events of January 6th, I believe there is one simple choice here and in Ukraine: freedom or autocracy. I choose freedom. I am proud to stand on that side in support of our Ukrainian friends and allies and pray they will prevail in this unjust war.

JAMES HAYGOOD

Haygood, of Rydal, is a maintenance of way engineer vying in the Republican primary.

I believe the U.S. should give military aid to help set up a no fly zone and any other aid needed to help Ukraine in the defeat of the Russian army.

I do disagree with giving raw cash to any country. I believe it ends up in government hands of greed and does not go to the purpose the money was given. Also we must stop buying oil from Russia on a daily basis, open up our energy machine and put American energy to work for us and the world.

We should shut off all economic means to Russia, cut off Putin’s Swift account and financially bankrupt Russia.

CHARLES LUTIN

Lutin, a retired physician from the Atlanta metro area, is vying in the Republican primary.

As many of you know, I have Ukrainian heritage and I take this war personally. The loss of life and destruction are of a scale not seen in Europe since the end of WW II.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has called for ending military and economic support for the people of Ukraine, which has bravely withstood this unprovoked assault by the second strongest military in the world. Instead of supporting our friends in Ukraine who bear the brunt of this assault in the name of liberty and democracy, she is advocating feeding Ukraine to the hungry bear to its north.

To be clear, this is not the Russian people’s war, and no one should blame the Russian people or the Russian army. This is Vladimir Putin’s war and the blame and the consequences should fall squarely on Putin.

Putin might conquer Ukraine, but he will never pacify Ukraine or extinguish the flame of freedom in the hearts of the Ukrainians. Ukraine will be worse than Afghanistan for the Russians, and if we support the Ukrainians, they will repel this invasion.

It is certainly a concern that Russia has a huge nuclear arsenal, and it is certainly unclear whether Putin would be crazy enough to order a nuclear strike. Nevertheless, I think that we must provide the weapons that Ukraine needs to repel this invasion. In addition to ground-based systems such as the Javelin missile system and Stinger shoulder fired missiles, this includes some air power, whether in the form of jets delivered from NATO allies or an air arm of another country to supplement the ground fighters holding off the Russians from advancing.

Appeasement of Putin a la Neville Chamberlain and the Sudetenland will not be effective. Containment of Putin a la Truman/Acheson will be effective, since Putin’s position is basically weak.

We must trust our Ukrainian friends to not escalate the war into Russia, but rather to stay in its own territory and fight a defensive war over its own skies. If Ukraine controlled the airspace, the Russians could not resupply their forces and their artillery would be completely vulnerable.

With some air power available to the Ukrainians, this war will be over quickly in favor of the Ukrainians, and it might even destabilize Russia enough to get rid of Vladimir Putin, and we would all be better off. If we hang together, Putin will hang alone.

JENNIFER STRAHAN

Strahan, a healthcare CEO from Paulding County, is vying in the Republican primary.

Ukraine is a sovereign nation that is being terrorized by the Putin regime. Americans know that Russia is the aggressor and the sole cause of this crisis.

Over the last few weeks, we have all seen the atrocities being committed by Russia against the people of Ukraine, including the bombings of residential buildings, missiles directed toward maternity hospitals, threats of chemical warfare, and more.

And despite the evidence, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is actively serving as a megaphone for Putin and communist Russia, parroting his talking points, belittling Ukrainian freedom fighters, and weakening our own national security.

For years, Vladimir Putin has made his intentions known with regard to Ukraine. In 2014, he sent Russian troops to invade and occupy government buildings in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Once secured, they held questionable elections to claim reunification with Russia. Despite false claims from Russia, the global community still recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine.

Ukraine must not fall to Russia. I do not support putting American troops on the ground, however. The free people of Ukraine have shown tenacity and strength during this ordeal and continue to stand toe-to-toe with the Russian military.

The United States does have a critical role to play in supporting Ukraine’s independence.

It is imperative the United States and our NATO allies continue to impose strict sanctions on Russia and provide Ukraine with humanitarian and military equipment assistance. The United States can — and should — sell weaponry and aircraft to the Ukrainian government so they can protect themselves. To defeat Putin we must make his occupation of Ukraine more painful and costly than he ever imagined it could be.

At the same time, we must bolster our security at home.

I was deeply disappointed with the Democrats’ initial budget proposal, which cut military funding during this tumultuous time.

I also strongly condemn President Biden’s attacks on American energy. On day one, he shut down the Keystone XL

Pipeline and instead supported the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, which would move oil between Russia and Germany, thereby strengthening the energy partnership between Europe and Russia. It is time to renew American energy dominance. Doing so would not only boost and protect our own economy, but bolster our national security and strengthen our global alliances.

President Reagan’s principle of “peace through strength” reigns as true today as it did during the initial breakup of Communism and the Soviet Union. It’s time to strengthen our defenses and those of our allies, reclaim our energy independence, and stand united against Communism and Russian tyranny.

SETH SYNSTELIEN

Synstelien of Dallas, an instructional designer for the USG eCampus, is vying in the Republican primary.

What Russia has done to the children and families of Ukraine is inexcusable. Russian leader Vladamir Putin claims to be liberating and “de-nazifying” the Ukrainian government. Putin’s reasons for invasion are deceptive explanations that are only as shallow as they are stupid.

In case you did not know, Ukrainian president Volodomir Zelenskyy is Jewish. Additionally, a recent poll showed that 88% of Ukrainians view their Jewish president favorably. Putin is not trying to protect the people of Ukraine; he is trying to expand and maintain the Kremlin’s power.

Putin has repeatedly pushed boundaries by sending armed bombers to our U.S. coast. He has crossed lines that many rational people would consider acts of war, like the bounties he paid for the deaths of our U.S. service members

in Syria. He will not stop his campaign until his avarice is satisfied and he has taken revenge on the west for stripping power from the former Soviet Union.

Despite Putin’s track record, a few people still beat the drum of appeasement, our current representative being one of them. They cry corruption in Ukraine and claim that the Kremlin will be content if Putin gets what he wants, and the world can move on. Except he will not be satisfied.

Appeasement will be at the cost of the free people of Ukraine. Worse, it will give Russia control over one-third of the world’s wheat supply. You better believe that he will weaponize that resource and leverage it against those who depend on that food.

I do not find it a coincidence that Putin called for the invasion of Ukraine shortly after Zelenskyy passed anti-oligarch laws that allowed prosecution of government officials for corruption. If Putin cannot hold power in the shadows with money, political corruption, and disinformation campaigns, his tactics will shift to overt bullying and military violence.

If you are uneasy supporting Ukraine in fear of supporting a government that has suffered from corruption, you should consider reframing your perspective. All governments that contain imperfect people suffer from some degree of corruption. In this case, the real problem on the global scale is an overreaching government imposing its mandates on a sovereign nation.

Russia is punching down while Ukraine is trying to get their act together. If the Kremlin succeeds in their Ukraine campaign, the rest of the former Eastern Bloc will likely be next, and then the whole world will suffer.