Democracy Dies in Silence

I had initially planned on opining on the Coffee County Democratic Party’s hugely successful Fish Fry Jamboree on Saturday that drew a couple hundred patriotic Americans, gathered for a common purpose–support the Constitution and rail against the authoritarian bend of our state and federal governments. Victoria Broaderick, who ran against Rep. DesJarlais and is campaigning for that seat once again, Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is widely known as one of the “Tennessee Three” and recently ran against Sen. Marsha Blackburn, and Rep. Aftyn Behn, a social worker who was recently elected to represent District 51, all gave inspirational speeches that deserve to be expounded upon. However, as we were cleaning up after the event, news broke that the United States bombed specific targets in Iran, pouring billions of dollars into a new military campaign, demonstrating not global leadership, but a reactive posture that follows the lead of others—most notably Israel—rather than setting its own course.

In this latest operation, the U.S. spent an estimated $7 billion on bombing Iran’s nuclear sites during "Operation Midnight Hammer." This total does not include the additional costs of cruise missiles, submarine operations, or the extensive logistics and support for the B-2 bomber missions, which would push the overall price tag even higher. To put this into perspective, the U.S. bombed a foreign country on behalf of another foreign country, using billions of dollars that we don’t have, while Americans can’t even afford insulin to stay alive. In no way does bombing Iran make this country greater; it actually makes it markedly worse. 

Despite the massive financial outlay, the results on the ground are ambiguous at best. While U.S. officials touted the destruction of Iranian nuclear sites, independent assessments suggest Iran had time to move key materials, and its program remains largely intact. The U.S. may have spent billions only to bomb empty tunnels, raising questions about the effectiveness of such costly shows of force.

Strategically, this operation highlights a troubling shift: the United States is no longer setting the agenda on the world stage. Instead, it finds itself reacting to crises, often at the urging of regional partners like Israel, rather than leading with a coherent vision. Even as the U.S. spends more on defense than any other nation, it is forced to rely on rivals like China to help stabilize fallout from its own actions, such as keeping oil shipping lanes open after our country’s escalation in the Middle East. 

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly stated that “A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.” It’s also easy to surmise that the U.S. bombing Iran will increase their own nationalistic spirit–similar to what happened in this country when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor–that will fuel their desire to create nuclear weapons.

As America’s defense budget grows—now at a record high—the return on that investment is increasingly measured in fleeting headlines and fractured alliances, not in lasting security or global influence. The U.S. is left footing the bill for wars it once promised to avoid, while others—China, Russia, and Iran—quietly redraw the map and shape the future. 

In the end, America’s vast military spending has bought little more than escalation and uncertainty, while its claim to world leadership slips further out of reach. It’s impossible to be a world leader while you’re throwing stones from a glass house by running roughshod over The Constitution, which clearly specifies that Congress should have been notified needed to approve any such action in Iran before it occurred. 

Under no circumstances should a sitting president be allowed to order strikes against another country unless this country is in imminent danger. That is not the case. This is why the large gathering of proud Democrats at the Fish Fry is so important. Someone has to stand for democracy. Our hope is that we will make it easier for others to join us, regardless of their political affiliation. Democracy dies in silence; it’s time to start shouting.

Mike Stein

Chair, Coffee County Democratic Party