Think Again: Chiller, Socialist Theater

Crossposted with the Center for American Progress


With Danielle Ivory

A heated debate broke out last week over the degree to which incendiary talk by right-wing cable and radio hosts might be fueling a recent spate of murderous violence by disturbed individuals.

We'd like to take a moment to focus on the just plain crazy. Have you noticed that in conservative world, this administration is leading a march on socialism? That's right, the one that refuses to nationalize the banks against the recommendations of Alan Greenspan, among others; the one that has offered gazillions of dollars to bail out private interests run into the ground by billionaires; the one that, on Wednesday, did not even take strong action to regulate the derivative market, which as much as anything helped cause this crisis. No, really...

Just last week alone, Media Matters counted more than 143 mentions of the words "socialism," "socialist," and "socialistic" on the cable news shows -- and that's not including words like "communist" or "Marxist." The word socialist has virtually become an everyday talking point since the Obama administration moved in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Lest you think we exaggerate:

* Fox and Friends graded Obama's economic plan with an "S" for socialism.

* Pat Robertson warned that, "before long, we'll have this gigantic socialist colossus."

* Radio personality Michael Savage called Obama a "neo-Marxist fascist dictator in the making," and said that Obama "dreams of Maoist revolution" with "death camps."

* Actor Jon Voight sat down Bill O'Reilly and accused Obama of "bringing us to chaos and socialism," and then suggested that he -- yes, we're still talking about the actor -- might do a better job negotiating with North Korea.

* Glenn Beck called Obama a Marxist and said that we're on the road to socialism. Later, he noted that we are stepping beyond socialism and heading toward fascism.

* Sean Hannity met with Sarah Palin in a wooded area for a heart-to-heart and suggested -- and she agreed -- that Obama was leading the country toward certain socialism. Hannity has in the past crowned Obama the "Commissar in Chief," renamed America the "United States of France," and claimed that, "America is moving from a free-market economy to a Socialist economy." On the eve of the infamous tea parties, he asked Newt Gingrich: "Is this now a battle between capitalism and socialism?" In case you were wondering, Newt didn't say no, but recently, Hannity answered his own question, declaring that "the Bolsheviks have finally arrived!" He also praised congressional Republicans for finally using "the S-word."

Branding the United States of America as the newest socialist republic is not just a job for mentally unbalanced and/or drug-and-alcohol addicted cable "news" hosts. The Republican National Committee also held a special session recently to try and rebrand the Democratic party as the Democratic Socialist Party. (It was narrowly defeated.)

What's more:

* Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) called the president's policies "a new American socialist experiment."

* Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-IA) -- both politician and madwoman combined -- said that "if you look at FDR, LBJ, and Barack Obama, this is really the final leap towards socialism."

* Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) called Obama the "the world's best salesmen of socialism."

* Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) said he believes the Obama administration is taking the country down the road to socialism.

* Newt Gingrich said Obama's agenda was the "boldest effort to create a European socialist model we have seen."

Well, you get the point...

The socialist scare tactic may appear to be just one more desperate grasp from a conservative opposition that -- let's face it -- hasn't got much going these days. But it is really a reprise of tried and true scare-tactics past.

We saw a bit of it just a few years ago when conservatives were in the majority in Congress. Former House majority leader Dick Armey (R-TX) wrote that New Deal and the Great Society, on the one hand, and Soviet Russia's five-year plans and Communist China's Great Leap Forward, on the other, were created by "the same sort of person" separated only by differences of "power and nerve." Before that, Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) compared "liberals" to "scoundrels like Hitler," who were also "much like communists."

But we've been hearing this sort of thing for better part of three-quarters of a century now. Back in 1947, for example, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce accused the Truman administration of taking a "backroad to socialism" in the fast lane toward a "police state."

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg notes that the tactic has been "part of the Republican lexicon for years and years. Any time the Democrats proposed any legislation on child labor, social security, the [conservatives] immediately cried socialism -- to the point where in 1952 Harry Truman said that when you hear someone saying 'down with socialism,' they really mean 'down with progress.'"

This is working to some degree. Lawrence O'Donnell has pointed out that only 6 percent of Americans used the word socialist to describe President Obama back in September 2008, but by April 2009 that number had grown to 20 percent. But like most everything -- particularly given the collapse of the Soviet Union and Chinese embrace of capitalism -- socialism as a scare tactic ain't what it used to be....

You can read the rest of Eric Alterman and Danielle Ivory's analysis in their recent article, "Think Again: Chiller, Socialist Theater."

Eric Alterman is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Distinguished Professor of English at Brooklyn College. He is also a Nation columnist and a professor of journalism at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. His seventh book, Why We're Liberals: A Handbook for Restoring America's Most Important Ideals was recently published in paperback. He occasionally blogs at http://www.thenation.com/blogs/altercation.

Danielle Ivory is a reporter and producer for the American News Project. She lives in Washington, D.C.

This column was recently named as a finalist in the category of "Best Commentary -- Digital" for the Mirror Awards.

Comments

[mbaty]

Calling Obama socialism is just a smoke screen. We aren't Capitolism and we aren't Socialism. We are a hybrid, and we should embrace the best of both worlds. After all, isn't it socialistic to share the roads we drive on? To use the public library? Isn't it socialistic to have social security? And why shouldn't we have socialistic elements in our society? After all, if we are going to share many resources, why not share the resources that we all need to survive? If a disaster strikes your community, are you going to horde everything and hole up in a hovel just so you don't have to help anyone or share anything? No. We pull together. We give our money and our time and our energy to help our neighbors in times of crisis. Remember the huge earthquake that devastated a lot of people, and how we all gave money to the survivors? We have to extend that compassion to ourselves as well. Especially in times like these where the banking barons want to swindle us out of every fee they can legally charge and then add sky-high interest rates, we have to remember that we are in this together, and we will either thrive together or we will collapse together.

[valkyrie607]

I like the quote from the Princess Bride at the end of the article:

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

[Chitownfool]

nbnbnb

[MikeDu]

What was their last catch phrase? "Islamo-fascist". That one didn't catch on despite repeatedly being inserted into TV panel talking points. Also, faced with the Bush admin's all-too-obvious fascistic tendencies, right-wing think tanks (a misnomer if there ever was one) had the cajones to circulate the libel that Hitler's Germany was a manifestation of the left (something I'm sure Franco & Pinochet would be surprised to hear)!

What can the right-wing do?
The don't have the facts on their side, they don't have history on their side, they don't have the people on their side. All they've got in their arsenal is slogans designed to turn-off the thinking process.

[bosha]

The GOP are a bunch of old, outdated men that's all they have on their side.

[DCX2]

It's amazing that our media has managed to convince people that the improper implementation of one man's ideas (specifically, Karl Marx) by other people we don't like (Russia, China, etc) is grounds for hating the original man himself. No one should be allowed to use the term "Marxist" without having actually read anything that Marx wrote.

[alwqb]

But guys, capitalism is working so well! Bubble and Bust, Bubble and Bust. Retirement savings down the toilet, jobs taken overseas, our wonderful healthcare system. Bang up job! Screw the people, hail the all mighty dollar! Hail the corporations!

[JanSP1971]

Just last week alone, Media Matters counted more than 143 mentions of the words "socialism," "socialist," and "socialistic" on the cable news shows -- and that's not including words like "communist" or "Marxist." The word socialist has virtually become an everyday talking point since the Obama administration moved in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

SHOCKING, JUST SHOCKING. Then people wonder why there are haters and the home grown terrorist out there doing Fixed News dirty work. Fixed News and their fear and hate spewing right wing nut jobs need to be held responsible for their words before more damage is done to our country. They were the ones that called any and everyone un-American that dared questions GWB, how soon they forget. In my view no one is more un-American then Fixed News and Boss Rush, they want OUR President to fail and with that they want OUR country to fail.

[CJWebber]

when are people going to correctly define socialism and fascism? too many think they are the same thing, just a matter of severity

[PWM]

Rushpublicans have no problem with violence. They happily watched 100.000 people be killed in Iraq and didn't blink an eye.

[noaxe397]

Republicans are well on their way to laying the foundation of a retaking of Congress and WH by 2012, by manipulation of language (again) and the Dems are too inept to realize it or to push back.
The largest corporations in the country are asking the government to bail them out, and Obama is the "socialist." Republicans are masters at agreeing with Dems on an issue, then turning around and bashing the Dems for their decision.

The GOP healthcare plan is called the "America" plan. The defecit is called "generational theft."

The fact that is the Dems cannot/will not remind people how capitalism has failed (repeatedly), and they will not use the word capitalism as an epithet the way GOP uses word socialism. Just remind working/middle class Americans where capitalism has brought them today.

But Dems are too inept. It is good they want to solve problems, but GOP is too good at changing the description of the problem.

Examples: Only 5 months in, more Americans are now concerned about defecit than stimulus.
Only 5 months in more Americans view axis-of-evil NKorea/Iran as greater threats to US security than Afghan/Pakistan.
Real problems have not changed; GOP has changed perception of problem. Masterful!

Gop picks up 25 seats in 2010, takes over Congress in 2012.

[oncethere]

Limbaugh uses the phrase, "state-run media," in every other sentence he utters. Also, he says, "Obama is destroying the economy," over and over during the course of his broadcasts. We all know the hypnotic value of repeating something over and over. I believe the use of hypnotic tactics, saying the same thing over and over again, amounts to propaganda and it should not be allowed on the air waves.

"State-run media" and "obama is detroying the country" are opinions with no objective proof. It would be like saying, "Obama intends to round up all dissenters and put them in camps" or "the world is square." If you repeat those assertions often enough, people will begin to believe them.

[wdw505]

funny as hel1 though

[TexasMike]

The funny thing is...that if their indeed was a state run media...how would that explain Rush being allowed on the air?

Oh that's right, he has his own regiment of ammo hoarders with their automatics at the ready to defend the "Dear Leader".

Seriously, the right has become unhinged and as they continue to sway and stumble like some kind of 15th round punch drunk heavyweight, normal people just want to get away from them before they finally tumble, face first, to the canvas with a deafening THUD.