It is almost impossible to turn on television these days and not hear some shrill accusation about some politician being a socialist.
Of course,
these charges are being widely thrown at Democrats, who are trying to hold on
to the House and Senate in the upcoming mid-term elections.
And the label is sticking, to their detriment.
Every time I hear the accusations, I realize more how
ignorant some Americans are. Or maybe they are not as stupid as they pretend to
be but are simply hoping to deceive the uneducated.
For in all the years I have been following politics, I
have never heard a sensible leader in the democratic party, claim to be
a socialist.
I deliberately said sensible as that immediately
eliminates Bernie Sanders who in my book is moving rapidly towards senility.
For Socialism is a system whereby the government controls
the economy so market forces do not prevail.
This is what former Prime Minister of Jamaica Michael
Manley tried to foist on us, causing me to have to endanger my life and join the fight
against socialism there.
For I am totally opposed to a government controlling
the so-called “Commanding heights of the economy” as he espoused.😡
That has never worked. Not in Cuba, North Korea,
Russia nowhere.
Even China never started to grow until they loosened the reins and allowed market forces to prevail.
So effective has the Repubican propaganda become that I have even heard some ignorant people claiming that Justin Trudeau is a socialist and Canada is a socialist country!
They had long thrown countries such as Sweden, Finland, Denmark etc. into that bag too!
Pure ignorance.
What these countries which all operate well
established market economies have in common, is something called Humanity.
For, they do not believe people should starve and be
trampled on, simply because they are poor.
That is what even the US based Social Security System was to prevent.
This was established in 1935 by President
Roosevelt during the Great Depression, when poverty rates among senior
citizens exceeded 50 percent.
I can just imagine the hullabaloo by the rich in 1935,
when that government tried to prevent the poor from starving!
That’s whats so clear about American politics.
Republicans just do not believe in helping the poor in
any way, although their supporters benefit from programs designed to alleviate poverty.
What bothers me is that the Democrats do not
understand the damage the socialist label does to them, especially
among immigrants from countries where they actually had to contend with the evils of
socialism.
It is therefore not surprising that the polls are now showing that Latin Americans, many of whom have seen or experienced socialism, have bought into the rhetoric and are moving to the Republican
party in droves.
The democrats often utter the phrase “Words matter”
but I wonder if they realize how true that is!
Maybe they themselves really don’t know what socialism
is, so that is why they are allowing the label to stick.
It is to their detriment.
CARRIED IN SUN SENTINEL 7/11/2022
Well said and the honest truth republicans and there rubbish talk about socialisim none stood up and fought against the oppression in there home land amd still fighting againstthere countrymen for the right to obtain food and an oppourtunity to humanitarian rights they are all cowards and hypocrites
ReplyDeleteSocialism, a number of our intellectual at the Intellectual ghettos are still around and are very disappointed that their wishes to turn Jamaica into a satellite of the Cuban system of governance have failed...
ReplyDeleteOnce again Joan you nailed it. It's really not about socialism vs capitalism in the US between Democrats and Republicans, alas. It is about humanity, deceit/grift and racism all colored in racism and ignorance. The Dems are sadly unable to handle appropriate messaging while republicans use racist tropes to attract the most ignorant and entitled of their lot. Lord help people of color in these times. Many of the hispanics are racists themselves so the republican party is more attractive.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it. Even a Republican friend agreed with this analysis!😔
ReplyDeleteWell said i totally agree with your comment
ReplyDeletes republicans dont have a clue they say empty barrelsake the most noise
I would like to respectfully submit that your argument is not strong as one cannot name a single socialist country that has not had to contend with US imperialist forces trying to destroy it - via war, sanctions, etc. Even Jamaica under Manley was the target of CIA intervention. In fact one of the largest CIA bases in the world was located on our tiny island of Jamaica during the Manley years. It is impossible to assess the effectiveness of socialism without understanding the conditions and context under which it is being developed. Capitalism and free market principles have proven to be massive failures - creating levels of inequality and degradation previously unseen in history. United States politics is not as simple as you claim. It is not a two party system - one party for the poor and one party for the rich. On the contrary, it is a one party system controlled by corporations. Regardless of affiliation of the White House administration - be it democrat or republican - wars will be waged in the name of expansion, workers will be exploited, and profits will be extracted.
ReplyDeleteThe CIA was active in Jamaica during our 'civil war' , but so was the Russian KGB!! They were working with the Manley regime trying to impose socialism on us! . Capitalism is not perfect but it gives consumer choices, unlike socialism. GIVE ME MARKET FORCES OVER GOVERNMENT Control EVERYTIME.
Delete“Capitalism cannot reform itself; it is doomed to self-destruction. No universal selfishness can bring social good to all.” - W.E.B Du Bois
ReplyDeleteCrap. In next door Canada, Capitalism has been reformed quite a lot to support consumers and give them better choices. Give me that over what prevails in cuba everytime!
DeleteCanadian political economy is no kinder gentler form of capitalism. It seem as "better" than US imperialism all while it supports the power of transnational capital.
DeleteThe democrats are too silent. No wonder the GOPs are ahead. They allow them to talk about socialism without even trying to knock it down. This country is in serious trouble.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP’s use of the specter of socialism is mind boggling. Eight years of Obama and two of Biden without an exodus or even a major outcry of the fearful? The hypocrisy of this talk is beyond shameful. Social security, Medicaid, free education through high school, child labor laws benefit the very voters who’ve been duped.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the idea that Bernie Sanders is senile. He is a humanitarian - the only constant proponent of health care for all, child care for working parents etc, systems that are a feature of life in various other countries.
Sanders promotes state control of the economy. Economies only work in the interest of consumers when market forces prevail.
ReplyDelete