Democratic Elites Reunite with Neocons, and Liberals Are Becoming Far More Pro-War than Republicans

A poll shows that 49% of Americans supported President Trump’s Syria withdrawal, while 33% opposed it in favor of ongoing war. The poll showed that the vast majority, 76%, of Republican and Independent voters want to end the wars while 14% of Republicans and Independents want to remain. In stark contrast, only 26% of Democrats supported peace by removing US troops, yet an overwhelming 59% of Democrats favored continuing the wars in the Middle East! In the past, Democratic voters have wildly shifted their “beliefs” based on the party affiliation of the president: during the Bush-Cheney years, liberals denounced war-on-terror tactics, such as assassinations, drones, and Guantanamo torture as moral atrocities. When Obama was elected, however, they completely changed their position – [proving once again that political rhetoric (in both parties) is primarily a tool to win votes and has little to do with morality or patriotism or upholding the Constitution. Too bad voters keep falling for the same tactics election after election.] -GEG

Via Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S December 18 announcement that he intends to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria produced some isolated support in the anti-war wings of both parties, but largely provoked bipartisan outrage among in Washington’s reflexively pro-war establishment.

Both GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the country’s most reliable war supporters, and Hillary Clinton, who repeatedly criticized former President Barack Obama for insufficient hawkishness, condemned Trump’s decision in very similar terms, invoking standard war on terror jargon.

But while official Washington united in opposition, new polling data from Morning Consult/Politico shows that a large plurality of Americans support Trump’s Syria withdrawal announcement: 49 percent support to 33 percent opposition.

That’s not surprising given that Americans by a similarly large plurality agree with the proposition that “the U.S. has been engaged in too many military conflicts in places such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan for too long and should prioritize getting Americans out of harm’s way” far more than they agree with the pro-war view that “the U.S. needs to keep troops in places such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan to help support our allies fight terrorism and maintain our foreign policy interests in the region.”

But what is remarkable about the new polling data on Syria is that the vast bulk of support for keeping troops there comes from Democratic Party voters, while Republicans and independents overwhelming favor their removal. The numbers are stark: Of people who voted for Clinton in 2016, only 26 percent support withdrawing troops from Syria, while 59 percent oppose it. Trump voters overwhelmingly support withdraw by 76 percent to 14 percent.

A similar gap is seen among those who voted Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections (28 percent support withdrawal while 54 percent oppose it), as opposed to the widespread support for withdrawal among 2018 GOP voters: 74 percent to 18 percent.

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