Traditionally speaking, the Left could be counted on to stand up against the warfare state and oppose the US’s fantastical military expeditions abroad.
However, we now live in the era of political realignments where traditionally anti-war groups have joined the Deep State in promoting pro-war narratives. In a similar vein, factions of the Republican Party, which used to be very hawkish, are now becoming much more skeptical of military actions abroad.
As a result, a small but growing coalition of Republicans are standing up to the Deep State’s attempts to get the US directly involved in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The funny part is that Democrats, even progressives, have become enthusiastic boosters of the DC regime’s efforts to turn Ukraine into Russia’s next Afghanistan.
Max Blumenthal, the Editor of The Gray Zone, noted how some of the staunchest progressives in the US House joined the rest of the Democratic Party in voting for a gigantic lend-lease military package to Ukraine.
Blumenthal tweeted the following on April 30, 2022:
The entire Squad – @AOC, @IlhanMN, and company – along with @RoKhanna and every Democrat in the House, voted in favor of the massive lend-lease arms shipment to Ukraine, which is designed to escalate the war.
All ten votes against were by Republicans.
The entire Squad – @AOC, @IlhanMN, and company – along with @RoKhanna and every Democrat in the House, voted in favor of the massive lend-lease arms shipment to Ukraine, which is designed to escalate the war.
All ten votes against were by Republicans. https://t.co/J66pu9cSNb
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) April 30, 2022
This lend-lease bill, which received the green light by the House on April 28, would resurrect a World War II era bill — a military aid package to the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom — to give Ukraine a large number of arms transfers and economic aid during its fight with Russia.
The funny part here is that California Congressman Ro Khanna has been one of the strongest opponents of the brutal war in Yemen. In this conflict, the US Deep State has provided copious military aid to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab ellies to conduct a brutal bombing campaign in Yemen against the Houthi rebels.
However, on the issue of Russia, Khanna has followed the Democratic Party establishment in voting for measures to continue the US’s proxy war against Russia.
More shocking, is how the Squad — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib — have bought into this pro-war nonsense. The Squad is allegedly the most progressive grouping of Democrats in the House. But it appears that they’re very much a part of the DC uniparty when it comes to war issues.
The “wokening” of the military-industrial complex and the military, coupled with the non-governmental industrial complex’s clever ways of promoting regime change abroad, has allowed for Deep State actors to woo the Left into supporting subversive foreign policy actions.
On the other hand, there’s a budding non-interventionist contingent within the GOP to challenge the pro-war uniparty. For example, 10 Republicans voted against the lend-lease bill. These Republicans were Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs, North Carolina Congressman Dan Bishop, Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman, Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry, and Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany.
Sadly, these were the only 10 votes in opposition to this bill.
This is the bizarro world nature of politics in 2022 and beyond. Liberty conservatives should continue to build the non-interventionist momentum within the Republican Party. The party’s new working class base is not receptive towards neocon warmongering, and that could provide many openings for realist, non-interventionist Republican candidates to exploit.
One thing is clear: The Left can no longer be relied on to be an ally in the battle to put the warfare state on a diet.
