Republicans are criticizing President Joe Biden for “leading from behind” after he belatedly answered calls to ban imports of Russian energy in the wake of Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Biden wilted under pressure from both parties in Congress, revealing his major policy shift Tuesday as Democrats and Republicans prepared to outflank the president with legislation halting imports of Russian coal, natural gas, and crude oil. But Biden did not move fast enough for Republicans, who bemoan that Biden waited 12 days into the war, acting only after Democrats in Washington and some American allies led the effort to strangle Russia’s key source of income.
“President Biden is finally doing what members of Congress have been pushing for all along,” Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said in a statement.
“Biden [is] always dragged kicking and screaming,” said Scott Jennings, a Republican operative and ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a Twitter post. “Last guy to the party, every time.”
“Leading from behind” is a trope that originated during President Barack Obama’s first term.
MENENDEZ WARNS BIDEN NOT TO TOUCH VENEZUELA SANCTIONS TO LOWER GAS PRICES
The phrase first appeared at the very end of a New Yorker article published on April 25, 2011. An individual identified as an Obama adviser described the 44th president’s approach to foreign policy as “leading from behind.” It was complimentary, meant to evoke the deliberate foresight with which Obama approached the complicated challenges of American global leadership, compared to the supposedly reckless determination of his immediate predecessors.
The Obama White House took exception to “leading from behind,” insisting it did not accurately reflect the president’s foreign policy strategy or leadership. No matter. Ever since, Republicans have used this slogan to mock prominent Democrats, whom they accuse of abdicating American leadership abroad or supporting military and diplomatic policies that they claim are making the United States weaker amid rising threats from adversaries.
As Russia saber-rattled about invading Ukraine and then followed through, Biden became the latest Democratic leader to face charges of “leading from behind” from Republicans, many of whom argue Russian strongman Vladimir Putin would have stood down if former President Donald Trump were still the commander in chief.
Republicans accused Biden of “leading from behind” despite his having implemented harsh diplomatic and economic sanctions on Putin regime. They tarred the president with the label after, according to many Democrats, Biden proved instrumental in coordinating a unified, aggressive response by European and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. They mocked Biden with it yet again after he banned Russian energy imports.
“Once again, Joe Biden is seemingly the last person in America to support sanctioning Russia,” added the Republican National Committee in a scathing press release. “Biden’s not even ‘leading from behind.’ He’s holding America back.”
Republicans argue that prohibiting Russian energy imports is not enough.
Only by promoting an increase in domestic energy production for consumption at home and for exports to U.S. allies can Washington hope to cripple Moscow and force Putin to reassess the war in Ukraine, they say. Biden rejected those claims Tuesday as he announced the ban, claiming his administration is not stifling domestic energy production and that the real answer to reducing the need for Russian energy is to diversify and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, Democrats saw a ruse in Republican demands for Biden to halt Russian energy imports.
The president acknowledged that the action he took was likely to cause already high energy prices to skyrocket further. Democrats say that is the point. They predict Republicans have been pressuring Biden to embrace a policy that will cause higher energy prices, claiming it is the only way to help Ukraine resist occupation by Russia so that they can later blame the president for, for instance, pain at the gas pump, in the midterm elections.
“When Republicans start running ads attacking Democrats for high gas prices, everyone needs to call out their bad faith BS,” Obama administration alumnus Dan Pfeiffer tweeted. “They pushed for this policy.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Republicans contend that Biden and congressional Democrats can avoid the problem by unleashing domestic energy production.
“Democrats want to blame surging prices on Russia,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a floor speech. “But the truth is, their out-of-touch policies are why we are here in the first place.”
