J.D. Vance: 'I will be damned' if Ukraine prioritized over 'Tsunami of illegal migrants'
Note from Opinion Editor Amelia Robinson: This is a submitted column by a candidate running for election. Its publication does not constitute the Dispatch Editorial Board's endorsement of the views expressed.
The American ruling class clamors for escalation right now, pressing constantly for more U.S. and NATO involvement in the war in Ukraine. These are the same “experts,” by the way, who have instigated every foreign policy disaster for America for decades, from welcoming China into the World Trade Organization to the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan that ended with our devastatingly deadly evacuation.
The crony cabal of the Washington foreign policy establishment finds willing allies in my opponents in the Ohio race for U.S. Senate, especially Mike Gibbons and Josh Mandel.
More: NATO summit: More help for Ukraine, but caution about expanding the conflict with Russia
Both of these repeat candidates have embarrassed themselves in recent Ohio debates in various ways, but the most telling signal for America First voters is their full-throated advocacy for a no-fly zone in Ukraine, enforced by our NATO European partners.
Let me be crystal-clear on this point. I oppose the imposition of a no-fly zone by any NATO allies. Why? Because in reality, we would quickly be compelled to join the active fighting because an attack on the air forces of Poland or Italy would trigger an Article 5 response from America.
For Gibbons and Mandel to support such escalation signifies how unthoughtful and reckless they are in their positions. Their stance disqualifies them on its face and would jeopardize American lives while likely transforming a clearly regional conflict into a global war.
But neither of these charlatans seem to care much about the consequences beyond their near-term political posturing. On this critical issue, they position themselves far outside of the mainstream of the America First movement, calling for escalation far beyond even what the war hawks of MSNBC and the Biden Administration currently support.
A poll conducted this month by The Economist and YouGov shows that when American citizens are properly informed on the actual mechanics of enforcing a no-fly zone, the idea is roundly rejected. In fact, only 31% overall support the proposal.
Twice as many citizens strongly oppose the notion as strongly support it. Perhaps most revealing: among Trump voters, only 26% support the idea while a whopping 57% oppose.
Unlike Mike Gibbons, I've served my country in uniform. The lessons learned from my deployment with the U.S. Marines to Iraq necessitate that I will always insist on a U.S. foreign policy of realism and restraint. We cannot intervene anywhere in the world unless vital U.S. national interests are at stake.
Moreover, we must have a definable and workable plan to execute the operation and then withdraw, and the projected American gains must justify the risks incurred.
Ukraine falls short on all of those considerations, and so our policy should be one of de-escalation, for our sake and for the welfare of the victimized Ukrainian people.
More: Condemnation, Biden blame: What Ohio officials, Senate candidates are saying about Ukraine
The foreign policy elites of Washington think tanks and the State Department always view the world as their globalist chessboard.
Only, they aren’t very good at chess and when they screw up massively in their plots, regular American citizens pay the price. We are the pawns of their war games, everyday citizens from towns in Ohio.
In addition to the reckless risks that Gibbons and Mandel push upon America, the issue of priorities becomes central. Right now, as corporate media delivers nonstop, breathless coverage of Ukraine, and Washington establishment officeholders pontificate endlessly about defending a border 5,000 miles away, we have an all-out border crisis of our own.
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I will be damned if I am going to prioritize Ukraine’s eastern border right now when our own southern border is engulfed by a human tsunami of illegal migrants.
For context, approximately 200,000 Russian troops have invaded Ukraine, which is a tragedy and inexcusable. As Christians, we pray for the innocent Ukrainian people witnessing war in their backyards. Concurrently, at the U.S. southern border, we endure that many illegal trespassers pouring into our homeland every month.
Our Senate met in an all-night session to swiftly send $14 billion to assist Ukraine in its border battle, but could not be bothered for $4 billion to build a wall to defend America’s border?
More: OnPolitics: Why should Americans care about the Ukraine conflict?
In addition to the millions of unvetted illegal immigrants crossing our border, a torrent of deadly narcotics enters as well, particularly fentanyl. This influx has devastated our communities, flooding ERs and funeral homes with overdosed Americans. Ohio has been hit especially hard, as my state ranks third worst in America for per capita overdose fatalities. Where is that same empathy for our own people?
So, to my critics who claim that "we can do both" simultaneously, my simple response is: then why don’t we? Clearly, a Washington obsessed with Ukraine and playing unnecessary war games abroad refuses to confront the systemic crises we face here at home.
My opponents Gibbons and Mandel would fit neatly into that Beltway construct of misplaced priorities, but I will remain the steadfast warrior for America First.
JD Vance is running for the U.S. Senate from Ohio. He grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and wrote the bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Opinion: JD Vance opposes making Ukraine a priority over US issues
