The Useful Idiots Are Back at It Again

By Michael "Mickey" Scornavacco

Once again Chicago's Federal Plaza was the backdrop for the latest left wing spectacle. Crowds gathered not to present reasoned debate or sober analysis of U.S. policy but to condemn this country after its actions tied to Iran. Dozens waved signs and chanted slogans that could have been lifted straight from last year's rally list with only the date changed. That alone should raise eyebrows about how organic this movement really is.

Behind the rhetoric about peace and anti war compassion lies something far more organized and funded. Groups like Indivisible, which helped mobilize protests, are not spontaneous neighborhood committees. They are part of a national network that receives millions of dollars from large liberal funding sources including the Open Society Foundations and related funding networks such as Arabella Advisors affiliates and the Sixteen Thirty Fund. These networks funnel money into political activism that consistently aligns with progressive agendas.

Going even deeper, some of these left wing coalitions are connected to broader activist infrastructures backed by wealthy donors and figures tied to foreign influence concerns. Reports have shown that funding networks associated with individuals like Neville Singham have supported nationwide protests opposing U.S. and Israeli strikes through aligned organizations. Critics argue these networks help amplify anti American messaging under the banner of activism.

This should make Americans ask hard questions about authenticity. When protests emerge again and again with nearly identical talking points, when the messaging mirrors narratives promoted by foreign adversaries, when large sums of outside money and organizational infrastructure push the same themes from coast to coast, it is fair to question how much of this is genuine grassroots dissent and how much is politically engineered theater.

Someone genuinely concerned about peace and American lives would acknowledge that Iran is not a neutral actor. For decades it has sponsored terrorism, openly advocated for America's destruction, and brutalized its own people. To reflexively condemn U.S. action without mentioning these facts is not moral clarity. It is moral selective amnesia.

What stands out is not just the slogans. It is the pattern. The same networks behind anti war demonstrations often appear across multiple progressive causes, creating a constant cycle of mobilization that looks less like spontaneous civic outrage and more like coordinated political strategy.

Protest is healthy in a democracy. But when protest is repeatedly fueled by national networks with substantial financial backing, when foreign influence concerns overlap with domestic messaging, and when sweeping generalizations replace thoughtful analysis, Americans deserve better than recycled grievance signs and choreographed outrage.

Dissent should enlighten. What we saw in Chicago and across the country looks more like performance than principle, and more like organized political theater than an authentic uprising.