Let’s Not Let 2026 Elections Turn Out Like 2006 Elections

This is the most important part of elections: the demand for follow-through, the organized nonviolent agitation and pressure for follow-through.

By David Swanson, Let’s Try Democracy

In 2006, exit polls found ending the war on Iraq (and would have found impeaching Bush if they’d asked) to be the top demand of voters who handed the Congress over to Democrats. The Democrats took control in January 2007 and escalated the war on Iraq and refused to impeach Bush. According to then Congressman and now would-be president Rahm Emanuel, Democrats needed to keep the war going in order to “oppose” it again in 2008. According to the wealthy liberal funders of anything good or decent, 2007 was the moment to drop any efforts other than electing a Democrat to the throne in 2008. The sizeable peace movement of 2002-2006 shriveled away. The military budget soared, the pivot to Asia pivoted, the nuclear weapons bonanza bonanzaed, the drone murder spree sprung, Libya would be attacked, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan kept killing.

Now, in 2026, the critical question comes, as always, from Father Dubya: Is our children learning?

Can we improve? Numerous outspoken antiwar, pro-peace candidates have just been elected to the U.S. Congress. Outrage over wars in Iran and Palestine has been key. Outrage over the financial costs and economic impacts of those wars has been key.

As always, there are Democrats and then there are Democrats. The party’s so-called leaders have not promised what polling demands and what the more representative candidates have committed to. Some have promised to escalate the war in Ukraine. Few have mentioned military spending at all. Most still have the level of ambition that would treat giving Trump a smaller increase in military spending than he wants as if it were a decrease.

Now is our moment. This is the most important part of elections: the demand for follow-through, the organized nonviolent agitation and pressure for follow-through. These should be our demands:

• Do not give leadership positions to those who will not credibly commit to the rest of these demands.
• Reduce and do not increase by any amount military spending.
• Reduce nuclear military spending.
• Do not merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries.
• Do not allow any more illegal weapons shipments to wars.
• Do not allow another dime to be spent on the war on Iran.
• Impeach Trump immediately.
• Create Enhanced Medicare for All.
• Create a Green New Deal.
• Make preschool and college available without cost.
• Abolish ICE.
• Block any new data centers.