House Democrats at odds with progressive base over the moral obligation in Syria
by David Atkins
Having spoken with a number of sources close to various House Democrats, I think it’s clear that many of them are deeply and genuinely conflicted about taking action on Syria.
One common thread comes out of the conversations, however: there is a moral element to this problem, and a pragmatic element. And those two issues are in conflict with each other.
Congressmembers are getting a lot of letters and phone calls from progressives and Tea Partiers alike saying essentially that Syria is “none of our business.” Those sentiments are actually counterproductive. Congressmembers and staffs are inclined both geopolitically and morally to absolutely reject that argument; in fact, I’d wager that every call and letter they receive to that effect makes a yes vote more likely, if for no other reason than Congressmembers would like to distance themselves from that sort of thinking. The isolationist argument is a bad one, and it does not hold the moral high ground in the face of over 100,000 dead by conventional weapons and over a thousand dead by poison gas.
The pragmatic argument, on the other hand, is much more persuasive. If we want to do “good” in Syria, are missile strikes really the way to go? Will we truly accomplish any our stated objectives through the campaign of limited missile strikes currently under discussion? My own perspective says no, and it is that argument which seems to have significantly more traction among House Democrats as they prepare for a stronger White House push through intelligence briefings.
But it’s important to note that the moral anti-war case so often favored by progressives as the strongest argument, seems to be the weakest one at the moment. The biggest difference between Iraq and Syria is that in Iraq, the United States was starting a war with a stable country. In the case of Syria, the United States would theoretically be seeking to somehow reduce casualties in a civil war. That goal is seen as having a greater moral force, but it’s not at all clear that lobbing missiles into Syria will help accomplish that goal.
In this context, House progressives and their allies might do well to build a positive alternative case for credible action to manage the moral crisis in Syria without resorting to the pragmatic black hole of war footing.
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