{"id":3647,"date":"2026-03-04T20:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/3647\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T20:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:01:13","slug":"democrats-respond-with-muddled-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/3647\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats respond with muddled message."},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up for the Slatest<\/a> to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.<\/p>\n

Something has been missing from Democrats\u2019 response to the war in Iran since President Donald Trump announced \u201cmajor combat operations\u201d early Saturday morning. Party leaders\u2019 focus, so far, has only been on the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump administration must explain itself to the American people and Congress immediately, provide an ironclad justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective and articulate a plan to avoid another costly, prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East,\u201d House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, summing up the prevailing sentiment in his party. His Senate counterpart, Chuck Schumer, similarly called for more information.<\/p>\n

Undoubtedly the process complaints are merited, as there hasn\u2019t really been a process. \u00a0Trump made no attempt to sell the war to either the public or Congress, and days into it, the administration can\u2019t get its story straight about why the war was necessary or what the goal of it is.<\/p>\n

But Democrats\u2019 focus on process papers over fractures in the underlying policy itself: Is war against Iran a good idea, or not? While the left is comfortable outwardly opposing it and some in the center support it, the broad middle hasn\u2019t found its footing. If the war becomes a debacle, have no doubt that just about every Democrat in office will rush to say that they knew it was a terrible idea from the get-go. But many Democrats have a long and well-documented history of hawkishness toward Iran, jumbling their thoughts and muddling their response.<\/p>\n

On the poles of the party, at least, you will get some clear answers.<\/p>\n

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Bernie Sanders,<\/a> for example\u2014two of the most progressive Democratic senators\u2014have been willing to say the magic words that have eluded much of their caucus: \u201cNo war with Iran.\u201d This is not a difficult question for them. The president is deeply unpopular, in part because he\u2019s viewed as focused too much on stray pet projects and foreign policy instead of the cost of living, and now he wants to attack Iran for reasons that he can\u2019t articulate and with objectives that change by the hour? He\u2019s doing this in a way that exposes serious fissures<\/a> within his own party? He says<\/a> \u201cThat\u2019s the way it is\u201d about American soldiers dying? Why, from these senators\u2019 points of view\u2014on both policy and politics\u2014is this even a question? No war with Iran!<\/p>\n

More centrist Democratic members and those with long track records of supporting Israel, meanwhile, are openly supportive<\/a> of Operation Epic Fury. New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer celebrated<\/a> the administration for taking \u201cdecisive action to defend our national security, fight terror, protect our allies, and stand with the Iranian people.\u201d Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz, meanwhile\u2014before hostilities started\u2014had referred<\/a> to a resolution<\/a> requiring Trump to cease hostilities with Iran as the \u201cAyatollah Protection Act.\u201d And Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, long the most vocal supporter of Israel among Senate Democrats, has been trashing his party<\/a> for not being more supportive of the strikes.<\/p>\n

The broad peloton of Democrats, though, are pairing every procedural complaint under the sun with to-be-clear paragraphs about how they, too, believe the Iranian regime must be dealt with. Schumer in his statement, noted that \u201cIran\u2019s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity.\u201d Jeffries said that Iran \u201cmust be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan in the region,\u201d but that Trump needed to come before Congress.<\/p>\n

Schumer and Jeffries, like many Democrats, have a long history of supporting sanctions against Iran, warning that the Iranian regime is an \u201cexistential threat<\/a>\u201d to Israel, and describing<\/a> Iran as \u201cthe largest state sponsor of terror in the world.\u201d Schumer famously opposed<\/a> President Barack Obama\u2019s nuclear agreement with Iran as he didn\u2019t believe it would meaningfully constrain the regime\u2019s ambitions. For many who did support it\u2014like Jeffries\u2014it was still a difficult vote<\/a>. And now, even in this day and age, under an unpopular president acting erratically and with an American public that\u2019s weary of new wars, there\u2019s always the voice in the back of Democrats\u2019 heads warning them not to look weak against bad guys in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Fred Kaplan
\n This Is Different Than Trump\u2019s Past Strikes on Iran and Venezuela
\n Read More\n <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jasmine Crockett or James Talarico? Democrats Don\u2019t Have an Easy Answer, but They Do Have a Clear One.
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

I could keep quoting these, but they\u2019re all the same. Here\u2019s Sen. Elissa Slotkin<\/a>, here\u2019s Sen. Jacky Rosen<\/a> and her Nevada counterpart Catherine Cortez Masto<\/a>. Here\u2019s Sen. Mark Kelly<\/a>. They\u2019re all tiptoeing, explaining\u2014not incorrectly\u2014that Trump\u2019s haphazard method and strategy has made for a very risky situation, and that Trump needs to come before Congress. They are all saying that Trump is, at the very least, not keeping with the spirit of the Constitution in going at this unilaterally. They are all connoting that Trump is a doofus. They are not saying whether they think war with Iran is a bad idea.<\/p>\n

What most Democrats appear willing to do, at least, is go on the record this week in opposition to the process. The House and Senate will vote on War Powers Resolutions requiring Trump to terminate military force against Iran absent explicit authorization from Congress. These resolutions may not pass in either chamber. Some Democrats openly supporting the war will vote against them, while Republicans will keep most of their members in line to support the administration.<\/p>\n

In other words, this is a free vote in which Democrats can express a form of generalized disgruntlement with the project, but that\u2019s about it. It buys them a little more time to sort their thoughts\u2014or have their thoughts sorted for them. Because I suspect, the longer this goes on, that Democratic voters across the country will catch on to the word games and nudge all Democrats closer to \u201cNo war with Iran\u201d as the winning message. Gas prices<\/a>, after all, are going up<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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