Why "socialism" has stopped being a problem

[eridani]

The general public knows little and cares less about the traditional use of the word as public ownership of all means of production. For the last 40 years, Republicans have essentially redefined it as "any public good that is not for whites only." I'd suggest for practical purposes that we just go with this redefinition and say that we think public goods should be for everyone--you know, the public.

Sure Sanders calls himself a democratic socialist. But what does that even mean after so many years of Repukes calling Kerry a socialist, Obama a socialist, and both Clintons socialist?

[Kalidurga]

1. We should thank Republicans for using that word so often and being so nasty when they do it.

So now when people think of the word and who uses it they think it's just a word mean, bitter, anti-everything that is good, people just bandy about when they want to squash human rights.

[Tobin S.]

2. I've heard Bernie say that it means that you are for the poor and the middle class.

I think the important point that people need to understand about the issue, for those who don't eat and breathe politics, is that Bernie believes in our democracy and the way that our government is set up.

[merrily]

3. According to a recent poll, 47% of Americans are ok with a socialist for President.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/22/socialist-president-poll_n_7638400.html

However, as you so correctly pointed out, Bernie is a Democratic Socialist. According to most media, he even apparently administered a vow about this to himself.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/12806844 (What the hell is a self-avowed Democratic Socialist anyway?)

I have a feeling that, before this campaign is over, he will make the difference between socialist and Democratic Socialist very clear.

Meanwhile, people don't seem scared of the proposals he has been making. To the contrary, they seem wildly enthusiastic about them. So, maybe they won't give a pooh about the label anyway. Perhaps, after almost a century, the Cold War is really over.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. Yup, they solved that problem for us.

As far as most of the population knows, 'socialist' means 'Democrat'.

[Enthusiast]

5. The Republicans cried, "Wolf!" They did it too many times, especially with Obama.

[Half-Century Man]

6. My favorite explanation of socialism.

Democracy is where everybody gets together to discuss issues, and vote on which idea is best.
Socialism is everyone doing what we think was best. Not paying someone to do it for us.

[Babel_17]

7. Sanders belongs to the party shared by Helen Keller :)

Along with Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., George Orwell, and Bertrand Russell.

We'd have been happy to have them.

King supported the ideals of democratic socialism, although he was reluctant to speak directly of this support due to the anti-communist sentiment being projected throughout America at the time, and the association of socialism with communism. King believed that capitalism could not adequately provide the basic necessities of many American people, particularly the African American community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.#Politics

So, if prominent Democrats think they can help their side by attacking Democratic Socialism as being too radical or naive then, in the words of Jon Stewart, "Go on ..".

[daleanime]

8. Amen.....

[MisterP]

9. it's the clattering sound a political system make when it's been dead for a while

in Latin America the officers kept claiming they had to put tanks on the street to prevent imminent Soviet takeover: this was in like 1994

they become trapped in their own rhetoric--the GOP debates and the Dem flacks will all be "Commie Commie Commie Commie" until it loses meaning

[mwooldri]

10. What kind of "socialism" would Bernie practice?

Republicans have successfully rendered the term "socialism" to equate to anyone who is a member of the Democratic Party, or whose main political sympathies broadly lie to the left of the GOP.

He calls himself a democratic socialist - but in practice, he'd be a social democrat, and that's a label that resonates with me (I was once a card-carrying member of the Liberal Democrats in the UK). There's no way he can replace our capitalistic society with a social-economic one... all he could do would be to make capitalism more humane - ensuring the government "safety net" has fewer holes in it (and fix the holes that do exist), encourage co-operative measures, and encouraging collective bargaining. He couldn't nationalize companies (unless they were in huge trouble, like GM was) let alone entire industries.

When I get my right to vote, Bernie will have it.