
Just over a month after inauguration day, on February 25, President Biden called for airstrikes in Syria, which he claimed were a response to attacks against the United States facilities in Iraq. Yet the United States was not in immediate or direct danger, and the attacks shouldn’t be used as an excuse to pretend Biden was trying to “de-escalate” the situation by dropping bombs, especially without the approval of Congress. However, there seems to be little outrage from this action, with notable silence from the Democrats.

When Trump bombed Syria in 2017, progressive citizens and politicians were furious and actively portrayed their disapproval. In 2018, Kamala Harris tweeted that while she supported Trump’s cause, she was “deeply concerned about the legal rationale of [the] strike” and “the president [needed] to lay out a comprehensive strategy in Syria in consultation with Congress.” However, with such similar attacks made under her administration, Harris has defended the actions. When it is a Democratic president commanding the strikes, Democrats are quick to overlook and justify them. Similarly, when a Republican president commands the strikes, Republicans are equally as quick to defend them. But while each party turns a blind eye to the actions of their peers, they virtually never apply this to their opposing party.  This extreme hypocrisy occurs on both sides, but this doesn’t make it acceptable. .  Both presidents’ airstrikes were similar, but the responses from liberals were incredibly different.

Many people, especially younger generations, became more involved in politics because of Trump, but now that he is gone from office, they are ready to return to ignorance. It is irresponsible to elect Biden into office and then ignore him when he commits the very same immoral actions Trump did. For instance, the media was quick to criticize everything Trump did wrong when he was president, but the lack of noise currently from the left-leaning media is not coincidental. People’s true colors are now being revealed: They aren’t willing to call out someone from their own party. Supporters should not feel safe with Biden’s power and let him take control without the nation’s eye on him. He will make mistakes, and they should not be swept under the mat.

Around one year ago, when the Trump administration bombed the Middle East, Americans were convinced that World War III would break out.  But now, in a similar situation, these concerns are not being brought up. In fact, the Democratic party seems void of the same sense of panic that they felt a year ago. Regardless of the party, people should be holding the administration accountable, yet there is more silence than ever. Liberal voters think everything done by Trump will be reversed now that Biden’s been elected and have stopped actively fighting for their values. They’re less motivated to be informed. This is no excuse. Voters who cared about Trump’s wrongful actions should care just as much about Biden’s wrongful actions. Trump would be getting much more backlash than Biden from progressives; idolizing Democratic politicians helps no one — just because they share a party does not mean they share all beliefs. Progressives need to continue working for significant reform in the same way they did under the Trump administration.

Most students at PHS are not old enough to vote, but this does not mean they can not be politically active. There are clubs, protests and online activities available to students so their opinions can be heard. Now, just as much as ever, it is important to not let our voices die down. Not only are we all affected by the actions of politicians elected by us, making their actions crucial concerns, we also need to develop advocacy skills so we can help lead a more responsible generation of political leaders. Getting Trump out of office was a triumph, but the work is nowhere close to done.

Helenka Rittenhouse's Work