Did progressive Democrats just find their old antiwar selves?
On Sunday, soon-to-be-former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney said that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was aiming to be the leader of the “pro-Putin” wing of the GOP.
Why? Because McCarthy has said that if Republicans take back the House in November, they will likely not be keen on fighting and funding a U.S. proxy war with Russia in Ukraine.
Last week, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused antiwar protesters of using “pro-Putin talking points” because the protesters criticized her continuing support for the war, resistance to diplomacy, and possibly starting a nuclear war.
https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1582115168787783680
Yes, neocon Liz Cheney and socialist AOC agreed in policy and in their rhetoric on continued fueling of this war by the U.S. Ocasio-Cortez was using classic neoconservative pro-war talking points against war protesters. She was literally making neocons’ arguments for them. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, as independent journalist Glenn Greenwald observed on Sunday:
In fact, we're now at the point where their leader, AOC, is not only voting to send tens of billions to Raytheon, Boeing and CIA "for Ukraine," but she's accusing anyone questioning or criticizing her of "spreading pro-Putin talking points." She already is David Frum.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 23, 2022
But then by Monday, AOC had apparently changed her mind.
The Washington Post reported, “A group of 30 House liberals is urging President Biden to dramatically shift his strategy on the Ukraine war and pursue direct negotiations with Russia, the first time prominent members of his own party have pushed him to change his approach to Ukraine.”
It’s the far-left Democratic “Squad” that is taking the lead.
“In a letter led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the 30 Democrats call on Biden to pair the unprecedented economic and military support the United States is providing Ukraine with a ‘proactive diplomatic push,’ redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire,” the Post noted.
The report continued, “The Democrats are specifically concerned that the United States is not engaging in regular dialogue with Russia as part of its effort to end a protracted war… The lawmakers say that opening must be seized given the war’s spreading devastation, adding, ‘The alternative to diplomacy is protracted war, with both its attendant certainties and catastrophic and unknowable risks.’”
The story reported that some of the most high profile progressive representatives were among the signers to the letter, including Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin, Cori Bush, Sheila Jackson Lee, Ro Khanna, Ilhan Omar and…
…Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
https://twitter.com/BlueBoxDave/status/1584631464787726336
Good for her. It’s worth pointing out her and other progressive Democrats’ seemingly dramatic switch for the purpose of history and factual reporting, but I don’t give a good god damn how we got there. This is nuclear war we’re toying with. These Democrats’ new position is also how most principled progressives have approached matters of war and peace since the Vietnam era. It’s about time.
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1584607189603262464
Hopefully these Democrats will convince others in their party including the president - and including many Democratic voters - that diplomacy is preferable to protracted war and the U.S.’s interest is more important than a foreign nation’s. We should also hope these 30 Democrats also work with the significant number of Republicans who are increasingly skeptical of continued U.S. support for the status quo in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
And hopefully Liz Cheney accuses Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of being “pro-Putin” by the end of the week. Just for entertainment.
https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1584612952614744065 https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1584720010663952384
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