WATCH: Republicans Debate "Socialist" Resolution

The Republican National Committee concludes a special session this afternoon with a much-anticipated vote on a resolution to re-brand the Democratic Party as the "Democrat Socialist Party."

ANP senior producer Harry Hanbury roamed the RNC meeting with a camera and spoke with committeemen and state chairs to hear their thoughts on the vote and their ideas about both parties.

Harry returned with this portrait of party leaders working on their message.

Comments

[adoantarel]

01:36 PM on 05/21/2009

Republican Theocractic Party? Republican Plutocratic Party? Republican Authoritarian Party? I'm sure some people would like to see it as the Republican Libertarian Party, but that isn't how it is.

[luvangelHussein330]

11:38 AM on 05/21/2009

Effing idots!! Instead of focusing on issues or atleast working on rebranding themselves...they waste time and money on this

[wolfmason]

11:31 AM on 05/21/2009

So now they have to hold a vote to determine how to proceed with arbitrary name-calling? Wow, that is the very essence of unnecessary bureaucracy. Aren't they supposed to be against that?

[Angmorg]

11:31 AM on 05/21/2009

The circus is in Philly this week.
Where's Sarah and The man of Steele.
And Bachmann

They're late

[unitron]

10:56 AM on 05/21/2009

Does this mean that we can start calling them the Rushlimbican Party? ;-)

[pb28]

10:39 AM on 05/21/2009

I would expect nothing less from the GOP who don’t know how to govern or make policy but instead can only produce slogans and mantras.

With a failing economy caused by the GOP, high unemployment, awful healthcare, failing schools and two wars this is the only thing the GOP could come up with. Very nice

[Bernique]

10:14 AM on 05/21/2009

posting again--

Passage of EFCA and single-payer health care (aka "public insurance plan") are inevitable because our current course is unsustainable. What is astounding is that those measures are the way capitalism will survive, and for republicans and corporations to be so myopic as to not see this, is ... ignorant, tragic, and dangerous.

The democratic-socialist model of capitalism is what European countries have practiced for decades with great success.

[pb28]

09:58 AM on 05/21/2009

Didn't the goverment start "owning" the banks under Bush

[wolfmason]

11:34 AM on 05/21/2009

Yes, but that was totally different. You see, there was an (R) attached to the names of those involved, making it a just, patriotic action. Now the people in charge of this practice have a (D) by their names, meaning that we'll all be doomed, no matter what course of action is taken.

[StillAmused]

09:39 AM on 05/21/2009

Convince me that these aren't 14-year-olds in heavy makeup.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

08:33 AM on 05/21/2009

Rush and his GOP sycophants would scream from the media rooftops if we Dems were to rename the RNC the Republican National Socialist Committee

[unitron]

10:54 AM on 05/21/2009

"Rush and his GOP sycophants would scream from the media rooftops if we Dems were to rename the RNC the Republican National Socialist Committee"

Well, everybody knows it's the Republican National Fascist Committee :-)

[EconPadawan]

03:50 AM on 05/21/2009

One thing is for certain, Republicans still have absolutely no idea what the word "socialism" means. While they're spending all this time and effort to try and rename the democratic party, of which they are not a part of, maybe they can figure out why hot dogs come in an 10 pack while the buns come in an 8 pack also.

[Bernique]

10:15 AM on 05/21/2009

Econ-- actually what the goops are doing is making "socialism" MORE popular. This tactic will backfire!!

[pbley68]

02:20 PM on 05/21/2009

The right-wing propaganda machine has for decades,equated democratic socialism, akin to the tyranny of the former soviet union and its eastern bloc.

Both Reagan and Thatcher were successful in discrediting democratic socialism, by using a disingenuously ploy, to tarnish democratic socialism in their respective countries.

[SecretSister]

02:19 AM on 05/21/2009

Republicans should be more concerned about defining themselves (you know, what their party stands for) instead of worrying about what the other guy is doing.

[jsgaetano]

12:47 AM on 05/21/2009

Looks like the Republicans finally figure out how to be relevant again!

Stay the Course!

[JoeAmerican]

12:13 AM on 05/21/2009

Woh (yawn), that so knocked Democrats back on their heals and on the defensive. (cough...)

GOP...some advice. Don't suggest a name that actually draws attention to a form of government that has proven to much degree successful at solving major social issues currently debated in this country. Perhaps you should swallow your disgust for Michael Moore and watch Sicko. You might learn something.

[drkazmd65]

12:05 AM on 05/21/2009

I don't need to have the Republican Party define me,....

I have believed that a Fiscally responsible government, that believes in a good deal of capitalism, moderated with an almost equal dash of socialism & regulation is the best way to go.

We have been fiscally irresponsible for a long, long time,... *kudos to Reagan for getting the ball rolling on that one*,... and systematically removed all the socialist restraints on capitalism since then.

All you have to do is look around you and see what the Reagan/Bush/Bush version of crony capitalism has done to us.

I'll proudly remain Liberal, and boarderlne socialist whatever they try to call me.