When Resistance Becomes a Narrative Tool
Zoom out for a second: Mainstream media is now proclaiming a growing 'resistance' to the current US president, citing grand jury rejections and policy reversals as evidence of institutions and even some Republicans 'standing up' to power. Axios highlights instances like federal grand juries declining to indict Democratic lawmakers and the administration scaling back ICE raids and National Guard
deployments. This narrative, however, isn't new. In 2013, we were told of a growing 'bipartisan consensus' against President Obama’s Syria policies, largely driven by public opposition to intervention. A decade before that, in 2002, skepticism over the Iraq war narrative was framed as a 'brave few' dissenting, even as intelligence agencies like the DIA cast serious doubt on claims of WMDs,
predicting the war would lead to 'long-term instability' – a forecast starkly proven by the 2003 invasion that killed hundreds of thousands. Today, the 'resistance' narrative conveniently emerges when the president's approval ratings for policies like immigration and tariffs plummet, making his agenda a liability for corporate and political elites, including campaign donors like Mark Kelly of
Arizona, who received nearly half a million dollars from the Israel lobby for his 2022 Senate race. The pattern is clear: When a president's actions align with elite interests – be it invading Iraq or bombing Libya – mainstream coverage often presents a united front. But when those same actions become a public relations headache or threaten corporate profits, a drumbeat of 'resistance'