For most of any of our lives, Republicans have been known as the war hawks, and Democrats were the pacifists.
My oh my, how times have changed…
President Donald Trump flipped the script for the GOP when he launched his White House bid in late 2015. Recognizing that the average American no longer supported the idea that the United States is the world’s police force, and that permanent war in the Middle East only guarantees the death of more American warriors, the billionaire ran on an anti-interventionist platform.
Naturally, this put him at odds with the big wigs of the GOP, and the people they’ve influenced. Hawkish Bush disciples like Marco Rubio excoriated Trump for his foreign policy stance, doubling down on the age-old idea that America has a unique role to play on the world stage — and that role is mainly supporting or deposing despots around the world. But, that isn’t the shocker here.
What’s surprising is that, for a long time, the Democrats have harbored anti-war sentiments. This goes as far backs as the late 1960s with the hippie movement that would soon infiltrate the party. So, why is it that Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and the rest of the Democratic Party are suddenly upset with President Trump wanting less war?
Well, it’s simple: if Trump supports it, they oppose it.