[jccc]

It seems clear that rayiner is referring to this issue:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43311416

"normalizing relations with Russia and disengaging with the rest of the world military was the goal for us liberals back then"

... and not some expansive idea that Trump is just like 90s Democrats.

[alienthrowaway]

Comparing 90s Russia to 2025 Russia is naive at best. Not even Clinton at his Bill-Clintonest would think of normalizing with Putin's Russia in 2025 had his presidency time-travelled to today.

This is before we look at the cost of "normalizing" relations with Russia, if we assume that's what Trump is doing. Turning back to allies, ripping up treaties and trade deals, threatening annexation, knee-capping your own Military-industrial complex, the list goes on. That's nothing like liberals in the 90s.

[jccc]

You're disagreeing with rayiner. I have no position and nothing to say on this.

You might wish to reply to that specific comment here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43311416

[rayiner]

Yes, I’m referring specifically to the anti-imperialist angle.

There were lots of factions within the anti-imperialist left, but fundamentally there was a distrust of “foreign-policy experts.” And while Trump isn’t a pacifist (and I’m far from one) that’s the part that he really gets.

[alienthrowaway]

The anti-imperialist angle is the same as pro-Ukraine, and opposing Russian imperialism.

It's easy to confuse anti-imperialism with pacifism, but you have to remember the anti-imperialist supported anti-colonial warfare even back in the 80s and 90s. Supporting a war to resist imperialism is completely congruent with anti-imperialism, and explains support for Ukraine.