An unexpected figure is funding a group opposed to Ukraine support

(AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

It’s no secret that there has been an increase in the number of Americans who oppose feeding an endless supply of weapons and cash into Ukraine to support the war against Russia or are at least skeptical about the process. Such people are regularly decried in the media as being “Putin stooges” or supporters of Russia. But who are these people? The MSM is quick to answer that question for you. It’s the Mega-MAGA Republicans, of course, likely following top-secret marching orders from Tucker Carlson or whatever. But the Daily Beast (of all places) has found one major source of funding for opposition to the war in a decidedly different community. A group known as the Eisenhower Media Network, operated by the People’s Power Initiative, is feeding money into a public relations effort to limit American military and financial support for Kyiv. And the man behind it is none other than Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream fame. Given his historic support for politicians like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with various progressive policies, Cohen isn’t exactly the Mega-MAGA monster you were expecting to find under the bed.

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A group funded by Ben & Jerry’s founder Ben Cohen is running a media campaign against U.S. military support for Ukraine.

The organization—Eisenhower Media Network (EMN)—has been reaching out to reporters to push claims that the U.S. is spending too much money trying to help Ukraine fight off Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

EMN is a project run by the People’s Power Initiative, a group that counts Cohen as its president and a major backer.

Cohen isn’t even attempting to deny his involvement. He provided a quote to the Daily Beast, saying, “I think the U.S. should use its power to negotiate an end to the war, not prolong the death and destruction by supplying more weapons.”

This doesn’t fit the media narrative regarding military support for Ukraine. And it’s a narrative that is constantly repeated by many Republicans in Congress as well. We have to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” because “democracy is in peril” or something. But that position isn’t reflected among the American public anywhere near as solidly. The latest poll from NBC News shows that support for providing more weapons and funding to Zelensky and his government has finally fallen below 50 percent. 49 percent supported more funding while 47% were opposed. Rather than being some sort of issue with near-unanimous consent, that poll paints the picture of an evenly divided nation.

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And it’s not an issue that breaks down evenly along party lines. Two-thirds of Democrats support more funding while only 32 percent of Republicans do. But that means that one-third of Democrats are either unsure or are opposed. And that one-third apparently includes Ben Cohen.

Can we honestly say we’re shocked by these results? Who in their right mind is in favor of yet another war that could drag on for years, costing millions of lives and (eventually) trillions of dollars from America’s coffers when we’re already going broke trying to handle our own series of crises here at home? And almost all of the bill is being dumped on the American taxpayers while our European NATO allies are pitching in a comparative pittance for a war that’s taking place in their backyard. If there is a peaceful resolution on the table to end the hostilities, why would we oppose it?

Of course, finding a peaceful resolution that both Russia and Ukraine would agree to could prove impossible. Putin wants all of the lands back that he already occupied (at a minimum) while Zelensky wants to “defeat” Russia and drive Putin’s troops entirely out of all of Ukraine’s former territories. There may not be a compromise on the horizon.

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If that’s the case, where does that leave us? We’re being told that there simply is no other option than to keep supporting the war with no end in sight or else Ukraine will fall. I doubt there are many (if any) people in the United States who want to see that happen. But we also still have a responsibility to weigh the consequences of Ukraine falling against our own national interests and security. If you want support for the war to swing back into majority territory, a very good first step would be to demand that western Europe foot at least half of the bill and reduce America’s donations accordingly. If our NATO allies across the pond don’t want to put up their fair share of the tab, let them take the blame for Ukraine’s demise. We’ve already done far more than we should have had to in this regard.

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David Strom 7:20 PM | December 20, 2024
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