Thanks Glenn Beck -- This 'Socialism' Sounds Great!

It's been 20 years since the Berlin wall fell and the Soviet Union officially collapsed. And it has been about that amount of time since socialism served as a buzz word in American political life. Now, thanks to Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Steele, Victoria Jackson, the Tea Party brigade, and the health care forum interrupters, socialism is back in our political lexicon and boy does it sound great!

You have to wonder what the younger generation that has no memory or knowledge of socialism makes of these accusations. According to this latest definition by Beck et al, socialism = health care for all of citizens, tax structures that do not constantly benefit the very wealthy, government investment in the auto industry to avoid adding another million or so to the unemployment lines, and the regulation of business practices to safeguard American consumers and workers. Somehow Socialism even crept into the President urging young people to work hard and stay in school. See? Isn't socialism super?

Already last April, with the GOP campaign attempting to brand the President as a socialist, almost as many Americans thought as favorably of socialism as capitalism. A Rasmussen Report asked whether capitalism or socialism is a better system and 53% of American adults cited capitalism, 20% said socialism and 27% said they weren't sure. That seems remarkably high marks for socialism.

But perhaps these results are not so surprising when one considers the pass that capitalism has been given while it allows the foreclosure on people's homes, laying off workers while giving executives big bonuses, and making health care decisions based on insurance company's bottom line. When will capitalism be a word as dirty as socialism? As Arianna Huffington contended in her own column in December of 2008, laissez faire capitalism should be as dead as Soviet Union communism.

I am not a socialist in the traditional and authentic sense of the word. Nowhere close. My personal attitudes towards socialists and communist countries did an about-face when I visited East Berlin for the first time, and later Cuba. While I agreed with the ideals of economic equality I balked at the accompanying political oppression. Instead I turned to countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark which have marked out a middle way, managing to have a high standard of living for all of their citizens with a vastly smaller gap between the rich and the poor than the United States, while still maintaining a fierce commitment to political, religious, and expressive freedoms.

As a Christian, my preference for this economic and social equality has nothing to do with Marx and everything to do with Jesus. Yet according to those who are defining socialism for this next generation, I am a socialist as was FDR, JFK, Johnson, Carter, all of our allies in Europe and Canada and anyone who tries to give the poor and the middle class a fair shake. So along with God Bless America and Amazing Grace, I guess I better add The Internationale to my hymnal. Sing with me comrades!

Comments

[SewaneeLeftist]

Great article. It'd be hilarious if the wingnuts' stupid attempt to terrify the credulous brought about an actual conversation about the failures of so-called capitalism and what socialism offers, especially democratic socialism. Of course, nothing being offered by US politicians, and most certainly by the POTUS is remotely close to socialism -- at best it's a liberal provision of important services on a par with running the Post Office. Still, it'd be a glorious irony if this thoroughgoing misuse by the right of almost every economic or political system around -- the Nazis were leftists is one of my favorites, of course, as is the fascist/commie conjunction -- brought a reasonable consideration of those economic or political arrangements that best work with democratic institutions. I'm sure I'll read many endorsements of that rational conversation in the posts that respond to this article.

[cornelison]

When people on TV ask if people want to live under socialist health care I raise my arm at home and say, "I do! Please, hurry up the process. I want it." Fortunately, I already have universal health care here in Canada. My dad was a staunch Republican but once we came to Canada he never left because of universal health care. Most Republicans want it but they never will admit it.

[EbonBear]

The annoying thing here is that they are completely misusing the words. Socialism's defining feature is collective ownership of the means of production and distribution throughout a society. Part ownership of a few banks that make up a piddling amount of the GDP doesn't come anywhere close (it's unclear whether banks even count as "means of production"), nor does regulation. Communism's intention was to produce a collectivist anarchy (yes, I know, the USSR never got anywhere near). The objective of having the state control everything has only ever been a Fascist ideal and Fascism is a right-wing ideaology (admittedly, very extreme right-wing).

Perhaps it is purely because the wilfull misuse of words, the attempt to rob words of their proper meaning, is a pet peeve of mine that I find American political discourse so abhorrant right now.

Oh, and if Beck actually believes the drivel he's spouting, he is suffering a psychotic break from reality and desperatly needs help.

[adamnb]

Seems like the article missed the point. Van Jones, Obama's green jobs czar, was forced to resign over these charges. That was the first shot by big energy companies through their paid spokesman, not only at Jones, but at Obama's energy plan. Taking a page from the healthcare swift-boating, the right is doing the same thing to the energy plan, painting as a plot of big government to take over the energy field. The slogan is already in place: greenies are only green, like watermelon (no racist implications here!), on the outside, but red (i.e, communist) on the inside. It worked against Jones, and will most certainly be aimed at Obama. Warning: Do not underestimate the power of the enemy. We did that with Bush, and the Constitution was shredded.

[mikebarden]

I like this one.

[mikebarden]

Haleluyah, brother.

[WillTell]

Regarding the President's address on health care:
"Let me say this about that" J.F.K.
Congratulations President Obama! Your outline of what you propose could not have been made more clear, and can only help everyone in America. To those that still oppose this progressive approach I can only say. " Oh ye of little faith", and I'll add "little charity".

To Rush, Beck and the like who only care about their ratings, I say, "You are nothing compared to the President of the United States" who's only true goal is for the betterment, and to do right for all the American people.

[cornelison]

Well said. Money has corrupted politics so much that it doesn't resemble what The Constitution intended Congress to be.

[hippie chucker]

The definitive takedown of Sweden/Denmark is from Cato:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13673589/-What-Can-the-United-States-Learn-from-the-Nordic-Model-Cato-Policy-Analysis-No-603-

My sister just turns away translation work after a certain point in the year over in Denmark. She pays so much in taxes its not even worth it. Sounds great, huh?

If taxes are so high, can individuals of modest means start business as freely as they do here in America? No, of course not. If you are punitively taxed so that you cannot easily start a business, how will you create wealth, short of finding a slightly higher paying job?

[Joakim]

Yes, the Cato institute is the perfect place to find a reliable source on the benefits of Big Government models...

If you have a modest income your tax is below 40%... But yes, the incentive to work longer hours does drop after a certain point, although surveys have not been conclusive wether or not the recent tax reductions on higher income will lead to people working more because it pays better or working less because they earn what they need faster...

What does starting a business have to do with taxes, it's free to start a business in Denmark:
http://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreTopics/StartingBusiness/Details.aspx?economyid=56

While in the US, there's a charge of apparently 325 USD:
http://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreTopics/StartingBusiness/Details.aspx?economyid=197

So I guess it's easier for people of modest means to start a business huh?

Also, there's no worrying about paying for employee health care, which as I understand it is a small business concern for some in the US?

[Kaira1969]

Socialism and Communism OK? Heck, why not Fascism too? Have you ever thought that in those societies you would not be able to write this article?

[zola77]

You obviously didn't read his article. He very clearly stated he did not support political repression which is why he turned his gaze towards the examples of Sweden, Denmark etc.

Please read before you post.

[Joakim]

Well in your society there's limits to what scary words you can say on television­...
And corporate interests are not always the greatest advocators of free speech, as when Yale University Press bans drawings of the prophet Muhammad in a book about the 2006 cartoon crisis, even a depiction several hundred years old drawn in the orient...