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Democrat Party, Party of War
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How the Democratic Party Became the Party of War

The Democratic Party was once a party that was against war. Most of us remember the Democrats demonstrating against the Vietnam War. Some went to Canada to avoid service in the military, some went to jail in defence of their position against war. Some guy, "John Kerry", threw away his medals earned in the war. John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, Sr were for diplomacy during the Cold War and worked to end the Vietnam War. An irony, the Vietnam War started when John Kennedy was president.

Obama's Drone Program and the Legacy of Endless War

Under Barack Obama, the Democrats became more comfortable with wars. Obama wanted to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the coming of age of drone warfare kept the wars going. Later, the Hellfire missiles resulted in thousands of deaths, including women and children." 1

The Ukraine and Israel Conflicts: Unwavering Support for Military Solutions

The Biden Administration has sent U.S. dollars, over 200 billion, and munitions to Ukraine to help in their war with Russia. They justify this by noting that Russia is our enemy and that Russia invaded Ukraine. The Republicans do not have clean hands here either. Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina, and others were happy to support Ukraine in repelling the Russian invaders.

The Influence of the Military-Industrial Complex

The Military-Industrial-Complex that President Eisenhower warned us about has crept into the two political parties and makes a tremendous amount of money from military manufacturing. "The financial interests of powerful corporations like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon have become intertwined with American foreign policy, ensuring that military solutions remain at the forefront of international strategy." 2.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., laments the fact that the Democratic Party has abandoned its roots championed by his father and his uncle, by advocating for more and more military spending, albeit with quite a bit of waste and graft. Kennedy has expressed fears that if Kamala Harris is elected president would revert to these expenditures to perpetuate the wars with no end in sight.

For more insight into this discussion, you can refer to the article listed below by Zachery Dorr. 3.

Sources

1. Dorr, Zachary, How the Democratic Party Became the Party of War: A Deep Dive into Endless Conflicts and Militarism, Midwestern Press, October 9, 2024, https://midwesternpress.com/how-the-democratic-party-became-the-party-of-war-a-deep-dive-into-endless-conflicts-and-militarism/

2. Ibid

3. Hedges, Chris, How the Democrats became the party of endless war, Salon, December 29, 2022, https://www.salon.com/2022/12/29/how-the-democrats-became-the-party-of-endless/