Whatever Happened to the antiwar 'Opposition' and 'Resistance'?

The Resistance.jpg

Remember the heady days following the election of Donald J. Trump to the U.S. presidency when Democrats vowed to oppose and resist his every move and work tirelessly to bring him down? Remember when brave actions like the following were practically everyday occurrences (see the source for the full list)?

November 13-16, 2016: The Democracy Alliance, an invite-only network of progressive donors, outlined their intent to oppose Trump's policy initiatives through local- and state-level intersectional organizing.

January 2017: Progressive activist David Brock led a donor retreat to discuss paths forward for Democratic donors and strategists. During the retreat, he said that his organizations aimed to raise $40 million, with half going to 501(c)(3) organizations and half going to 501(c)(4) organizations and super PACs.

January 21, 2017: The Women's March on Washington protested Trump's previous rhetoric towards women. It was held at the same time as women's marches in cities across the U.S.

Source: Opposition to the Trump administration

Notice the absence of peace activists and the antiwar movement, though? Notice the lack of any persons or groups actively opposing Trump's military actions and policies? It's not like Trump didn't reveal his hand right away, as these headlines demonstrate:

March 3, 2017: Trump Administration Puts Military Action Against North Korea Back on the Table

March 29, 2017: U.S. War Footprint Grows in Middle East, With No Endgame in Sight

April 7, 2017: Trump launches military strike against Syria

August 21, 2017: Trump to Expand Military Operations in Afghanistan

December 1, 2017: Under Trump, U.S. Troops In War Zones Are On The Rise

Hardly the Peace President, right? But where's the opposition now that military action against Syria (again, and still) is imminent? Are the Pussy Hats marching on Washington to demand that Syrian women not be bombed by U.S. warplanes and warships? Uh, no. Are all the fighters for the lives of people of color picketing in the streets to protect brown people in the Middle East from U.S. attacks? Not exactly.

So what are top Democrats and progressives doing to oppose war against Syria?

crickets.jpg

What burning issues are Democrats willing to stand up for? Could it be: a) Ensuring Palestinian rights; b) Ending Yemeni civilian deaths; c) Stopping the genocide of Rohingya; d) Preventing escalation of the Syrian war; or e) Keeping Rod Rosenstein employed? If you guessed e, you're absolutely right!

If President Donald Trump fires Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein or any other officials involved in the Russia investigation, he faces the prospect of hundreds of thousands of activists immediately turning out to protest all over the country.

A coalition of grassroots activists, unions, policy organizations and good governance groups have, for months, been plotting to quickly and forcefully respond to any perceived interference with the investigation.

Source: Mass Protests Planned If Trump Fires Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein

I guess most Americans only care about war when they're personally in danger of being drafted to go fight it.

protest.jpg

But guess who is against intervention in Syria? The so-called far right!

n 2002 and 2003, millions of left-leaning demonstrators crowded cities around the world to protest against the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. All the while, conservative media, along with large segments of the liberal press, beat the war drums, encouraging the Bush administration in its project of regime change.

But 15 years later, as the US edges towards a greater involvement in Syria, there is as yet no progressive, mass anti-war movement. For now, the most prominent opponents of Middle East intervention are all on the right, while leading Democrats are entirely on board with military intervention in the Middle East.

Almost as soon as allegations of a chemical attack in Douma were aired, a broad spectrum of rightwing commentators were claiming that it was a “false flag” – that is, an attack carried out by someone else as a provocation, in order to bring down international punishment on the Assad government.

Source: Why is the far right so against US intervention in Syria?

Of course, the above quoted article quickly devolves into calling people that oppose bombing Syria conspiracy theorists, zealots, anti-Semites, alt-right, America Firsters, etc. Granted, some of those exist and some of them oppose the war for various reasons. But aren't there also at least a few people like me, a Democrat since birth and just a few millimeters to the right of being an outright socialist, who think it's immoral to bomb first and ask questions later? I sure hope so.

----------------------------------------------------------

The image at the top of this essay is courtesy of @TheResistanceMedia on Facebook and is based on Kayla Chadwick's June 26, 2017 Huff Post article.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

A friend texted me today asking if Rosenstein had been fired and I basically shot back that I don't pay much attention to that but there are 800 plus protests planned if Rump fires Mueller and I assume same about Rosenstein. But NO mention of protest over going to war in Syria and confronting Russia militarily?? NO mention at all of what Israel is doing in Gaza?? Jesus. Haven't heard back from her on that one, didn't really expect to. She is one of those who sometimes says stuff that literally makes me want to beat my head against a wall. She's not dumb, hence the reason for said head bashing.

up
0 users have voted.

Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

snoopydawg's picture

@lizzyh7

Trump firing Rosenstein or Mueller would have a big effect on our lives, while more war isn't even on people's minds anymore. The Russia Gate hysteria has consumed people's lives. Why? No effing idea, but it has. Well, it might have something to do with Her losing the election, but what do I know?

Smile

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

I can't tell

up
0 users have voted.
CB's picture

@gjohnsit

are on the wrong.

up
0 users have voted.
edg's picture

@gjohnsit

They met in the middle then drifted rightward. Neither is like the traditional right or left. I bet both Reagan and FDR would have a hard time getting elected nowadays, and Eisenhower and Johnson wouldn't stand a chance.

up
0 users have voted.
CB's picture

They are far right.

And there has always been an isolationist faction within the far right. Or at least, since 1918.

up
0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

edg's picture

@UntimelyRippd

I mean that the article claims only the far right is against bombing Syria. And by "so-called", I mean to exclude people like Tucker Carlson, who's clearly not far right, Jimmy Dore, who's clearly not far right, Ed Schultz ...

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

"Remember the heady days following the election of Donald J. Trump to the U.S. presidency when Democrats vowed to oppose and resist his every move and work tirelessly to bring him down?"

This was just going to be more of the false opposition that the democrats have been doing for decades. Did you really think that people like Pelosi were ever going to oppose Trump and his merry men? The Resistance was orchestrated by the big donors, just like they orchestrated the Florida shooting kids march on Washington. The amount of money spent on both events are tax deductible.

The democrats voted to give Trump more power to spy on us, to deregulate the banks and more money for the military budget. They even voted for his cabinet picks.

This is what today's Resistance looks like. Sorry for you were expecting something different from the democrats. They don't do opposition anymore.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

edg's picture

@snoopydawg

And I wasn't disappointed in not expecting anything good to come from the American political class.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@edg

This way you won't be disappointed if nothing happens. I kinda feel bad for the people who think that voting is going to fix things. They still think that Trump is going to be impeached even though Pelosi has again said that she doesn't think that should happen.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg being the last roadblock to impeachment, stopping it anyway she could.

up
0 users have voted.
TheOtherMaven's picture

@Snode

We'd just get Hellfire Pence, who's a more slickly packaged violent demagogue, and worse, has an obsession with bringing on Armageddon.

up
0 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

@TheOtherMaven That's a hell of a deterrent.

up
0 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

https://www.springaction2018.org/

https://www.unacpeace.org/home.html

tax weekend? well, some further down the road, but i can't find any unifying hashtag, oddly enuff. this personal account seems closest...

but the dem mobilizations IF... are purdy ironic. thanks, edg. me, i'm off to *start* the taxes. the gun has to be at my head before a begin (wobbly grin).

up
0 users have voted.
edg's picture

@wendy davis

On taxes, that is. I wait until the last minute and even then I often just file an extension to push it off to October. I've got two businesses, so it's a bit more complex than just personal taxes.

up
0 users have voted.

The Party On the Left is now the Party on the Right

Once Her Majesty said she would attack those Godless Reds Evil Syrians, silence became golden.

up
0 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Deja's picture

The false flag theories, the animus towards Israel and Jewish people as supposed orchestrators of the attack, and sympathy for Russia, were all visible wherever the far right gathers online. This not least on Gab, the alt-right’s favored social media platform, where users swapped antisemitic memes explaining the attacks as a conspiracy, intended to manipulate Trump into fighting Israel’s wars.

I have heard/read that Israel is likely behind the fake attack, but when I think of Israeli policy and military or covert terror, I think of Bibi, not some random Jewish person.

Another thing, my Facebook feed today was filled with The Telegraph posts talking about evil dictators needing to be severely punished for poisoning their own citizens. The UK propaganda is just like ours.

DaxAGpBUMAAJoVw.jpg

up
0 users have voted.