Today I wrote a column praising progressive Democrats and specifically Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for issuing a letter to the Biden administration that called for diplomacy with Russia over the Ukraine crisis. The signatories included some of the most high profile, hard-left Democrats in Congress.
NEW: 30 members of Congress are urging President Biden to pursue direct diplomacy for a negotiated settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The letter recognizes the difficulties involved in engaging Russia given its illegal invasion — but make the case that now is the time 🧵
— Progressive Caucus (@USProgressives) October 24, 2022
"Hopefully these Democrats will convince others in their party ,including the president, that diplomacy is preferable to protracted war and the U.S.’s interest is more important than a foreign nation’s." @jackhunter74https://t.co/Bxf5Tm6bSa
— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) October 25, 2022
It was the first semi-antiwar statement of any kind coming from these Democrats, all of whom have voted for every bit of the U.S. funding to Ukraine (and American defense contractors).
But in less than 24 hours, the Progressive Caucus retracted their letter.
In response to intense bipartisan anger over the letter they issued yesterday on Ukraine, House Progressives issue a new statement vowing full and complete loyalty to Biden's war policies and full support to funding war in Ukraine without limits:https://t.co/QCZA4TT8FZ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 25, 2022
Honestly, I'd rather resign my seat in Congress than subject myself to a spectacle this humiliating. They couldn't even stand behind the slightest war dissent for 24 hours.
Also, this statement is a lie: the vast majority of GOP fully supports Biden's war policies in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/fZTQD8phEt
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 25, 2022
Then they blamed staff members for it, which is pretty low.
For progressives, I didn't think it could get more pathetic than voting for a disastrous proxy war that the US provoked & prolonged, handing billions to arms makers in the process. In retracting their tepid call for diplomacy & blaming staffers for it, they somehow surpassed it: https://t.co/kyONvPlifY
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) October 25, 2022
Why did they walk back the letter? Because these progressives dared to defy the Democratic establishment’s consensus. You don’t do that.
These progressives quickly concluded they had made a mistake.
Imagine being elected to Congress based on promises of challenging "the establishment" or whatever, then being so petrified of anger from bipartisan DC establishment mavens that you can't even wait 24 hours before meekly retracting the only mild dissent you've expressed. pic.twitter.com/3uk9SlLoC3
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 25, 2022
"We apologize for calling for diplomacy to end a catastrophic proxy war against a nuclear armed power. Bring on Armageddon!" https://t.co/2xrDw65xTx
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) October 25, 2022
How dare any Democrat defy the Biden administration, defense contractors and the Pentagon?
Don’t step out of line. Do what you’re told.
No Democratic constituency has been more sidelined under Biden than genuine progressives. Democrats are in control yet progressives consistently have to settle for gestures and occasional scraps. When they step out of line, the establishment quickly reminds them who’s in charge.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 25, 2022
Before yesterday I might have considered it a stretch to call Democrats “The War Party.” After all, Republicans are split on the U.S.’s role in the Ukraine conflict, and 30 Democrats did have enough residual progressive principle to at least take one antiwar stance on America’s latest war (as progressives have been known to do for most of the last century).
But today, it is clear that the only major opposition to what the U.S. government is doing in America’s name in Ukraine currently resides in the Republican Party.
Antiwar progressives manned up for a day. Now they’re in retreat. I do not see them standing up to the Democratic establishment and its foreign policy again anytime soon.
I would love to be proven wrong.
There's vastly more debate within the Republican Party — not just on Ukraine but on most topics — than there is within the Democratic Party. It's not even close. The tolerance level for even the smallest dissent in Democratic Party political and media circles is close to zero. pic.twitter.com/rTkATTOabx
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 25, 2022
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