Chris Hedges and Dennis Kucinich: How The Military-Industrial-Complex Has Become The Enemy From Within

Image by Cheshire County Democrats via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

TheRealNews on Dec 16, 2022

There was once a wing of the Democratic Party that stood up to the war industry. J. William Fulbright, George McGovern, Gene McCarthy, Mike Gravel, William Proxmire, and, of course, Dennis Kucinich. But that was largely decades ago.

The new Democrats, especially with the presidency of Bill Clinton, became shills not only for corporate America, but the arms industry. No weapons system is too costly. No war, no matter how disastrous, goes unfunded.

The massive military budget, $858 billion in military spending allocated for fiscal year 2023, is an increase of $45 billion over the Biden administration’s budget request, and nearly $80 billion more than the amount appropriated by Congress for the current fiscal year, keeps growing.

When 30 members of the party’s progressive caucus recently issued a call for Joe Biden to negotiate with Vladimir Putin they were forced by the party leadership and a war mongering media to back down and rescind their letter.

What happened to the Democratic Party? Why has it become impossible to question war and the massive expenditures on arms? Why is such questioning political suicide? Why can’t a Democrat ask, especially at a time of economic hardship and huge deficits, how much we are going to divert to the war in Ukraine, which has already consumed some $60 billion — as much as we spend on the State Department and AID — with no end in sight? ?

Joining me to discuss the extinction of anti-war Democrats is Dennis Kucinich, a former presidential candidate, who served eight terms in the House of Representatives before the Democratic Party gerrymandered his district to ensure his defeat.

Transcript

From the archives:

Vijay Prashad and Lee Camp: The United States Is Opening The Jaws Of Hell As Wide As Possible

Dancing on the Edge of Hell, by Robert C. Koehler

David Swanson: Ukraine and the Anti-Communications System

Ralph Nader, Medea Benjamin and David Swanson: Ukraine: Senseless Conflict

“Subpoenas” Served On U.S. Weapons Manufacturers, by Brad Wolf

Chris Hedges and Medea Benjamin: War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict

Dennis Kucinich: Where Are The Pro-Peace Democrats?

Kucinich Says Call for Diplomacy to End Ukraine-Russia War Must be Heard; Silencing of Congressional Progressive Caucus Casts Dems as the “War Party”