Progressive Democrats finally issued an antiwar statement on Ukraine. Then immediately retracted it

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.

https://twitter.com/USProgressives/status/1584611018004926464 https://twitter.com/HannahDCox/status/1584954411083628546  

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.

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1584898621124014080 https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1584957505486041088

Then they blamed staff members for it, which is pretty low.

https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1584952446807601152

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.

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1584904288391860233 https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1584947970709270528

How dare any Democrat defy the Biden administration, defense contractors and the Pentagon?

Don’t step out of line. Do what you’re told.

https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1584952004941869057

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.

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1584904787786665985

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