Democrats' Turn To Socialism Is Ominous Sign For The Party — And For The Country
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Big Left Turn: Are socialists becoming the new Democratic Party mainstream? After candidates endorsed by the socialist party won nomination battles for state legislative seats in Pennsylvania and far-left progressives triumphed over moderates elsewhere, the answer seems to be yes.
Some are writing it off as a fluke, a local aberration, but it isn't. Increasingly, the national Democratic Party is being California-ized — pushed to the far left on issues ranging from single-payer health care, an open border and tax hikes to hostility toward Israel, opposition to the Second Amendment, and a loathing of the U.S. military.
As for those who say local elections often have kookier, more extreme candidates, Ed Morrissey of Hot Air has this rejoinder: "One could just as easily ask why Democrats couldn't find successful candidates that hewed closer to Tim Ryan than Bernie Sanders for those seats."
Morrisey notes that other states similarly had political upsets of moderate Democrats by far-left candidates, including Idaho, Nebraska and Oregon. So it's not just a narrow regional phenomenon.
Speaking of socialist Bernie Sanders, his campaign in 2016 seems to have opened the way for the mainstreaming of socialism in the Democratic Party.
That's quite a change, given that just 10 years ago Democrats insisted on their moderate bona fides and recoiled from being called "liberal."
But this has been happening for some time. As has been well chronicled, America's public schools and universities have been turned far-left in their curriculum and teaching, with extreme political correctness and the enraged shaming of conservatives as the only real behavioral guidelines remaining.
Sadly, a mere 28 years after the collapse of communism, a new generation of youth not then born or too young to understand it see that epochal event as ancient history, irrelevant to their new understanding of the world.
They do not understand that the topping of communism wasn't merely a repudiation of the gerontocratic rulers of communism, but of the very idea of socialism.
Socialism Goes Mainstream
Unfortunately, the acceptance of socialism now permeates all strata of society, according to a 2017 survey of adults by The American Culture and Faith Institute (ACFI).
The basic findings weren't too surprising: 48% described themselves as politically moderate, while 25% said they conservative and 17% liberal. Those who called themselves both socially and fiscally conservative made up just 6% of the population.
But here's the bombshell: Of those queried, four out of 10 adults said they preferred socialism to capitalism. That's 40% . This is what irrational hatred of Donald Trump has wrought.
"It ought to set off alarm bells among more traditionally-oriented leaders across the nation," said ACFI Executive Director George Barna.
It seems even among adults, the lessons of the Cold War and of more than 100 years of tragic socialist history have been entirely lost.
Let's start with these two stark facts:
First, there has never been a successful socialist government in history . None. Everywhere socialist precepts are put in place, poverty, loss of freedom and rights, and societal decline inevitably follow. Collapse is a frequent result.
Second, socialist governments are murderous. According to the " Black Book of Communism ," written by French former Marxist Stephane Courtois, socialist regimes killed over 100 million people during the 20th century. No other ideology or "ism" came close to that blood-soaked record.
Whether it's the USSR, China, Cuba, Vietnam, the former East Germany, North Korea, Laos, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Venezuela or any of the other failed experiments in socialism, it's never worked anywhere. It's led only to misery, deprivation, government control and a loss of basic human rights.
Socialist regimes always start off with high ideals, promising "free" this, and "free" that — education, health care, whatever. But as their ideas fail, they inevitably resort to compulsion, and eventually torture, political "re-education," imprisonment, exile and murder for those who disagree.
What's perhaps most surprising is that we have today yet another very clear example of the failure of socialism taking place in our own hemisphere: Venezuela.
The Washington Post , to its credit, toted up what has happened in Venezuela since socialism was imposed on the country with the world's largest oil reserves and a once-thriving middle class.
Venezuela's Bitter Lesson
"Since Maduro took over from Hugo Chávez — his mentor, who died in 2013 — Venezuela's crisis has steadily intensified as a result of lower oil prices, corruption and a socialist system plagued with mismanagement. But as Maduro has sought to further consolidate power in the past 12 months, the economy, public services, security and health care have all but collapsed.
"Armed gangs and Colombian guerrilla groups are operating unchecked on Venezuela's borders. Pro-government militias are terrorizing urban areas, while police stand accused of extrajudicial killings. Four of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world are now in Venezuela, according to a 2017 study by the Igarapé Institute, a Brazilian think tank that studies violence.
"Hundreds if not thousands of members of the armed forces are deserting, in part because of meager rations, according to military analysts. Power and water grids and the transportation systems are breaking down. In just the first three months of the year, Venezuela suffered 7,778 blackouts."
You might want to read the whole thing. It's just the latest try at socialism that ended in misery, soaring crime rates, unnecessary deaths from routine illnesses, the dissolution of civil society, and the collapse of national institutions. We call that Socialist Realism.
We wonder why those celebrities and politicians who in the past gave fawning and obsequious love to Venezuela's hated socialist leaders — including Sean Penn, Michael Moore and, yes, the clueless socialist Bernie Sanders — have suddenly gone mute?
Today, more than anything, the ideals of socialism are splitting this country apart. They're also splitting the Democratic Party apart, and damaging civil, reasoned discourse in our society. It's a shame, on a par with the hateful and bitter debate the presaged our Civil War.
It is a great, self-evident truth that socialism doesn't stack up against free-market capitalism when it comes to guaranteeing the universal and in-born rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
As for those in America who think socialism is the answer, they are correct. But only if the question is: What one thing would end our precious experiment in democracy and republican government, leading to mass misery, impoverishment and even death?
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Never mind that Socialism has NEVER EVER WORKED IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE WORLD and has killed more people than anything else in the history of the earth...our brand is different./s
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez approves.
Along with Bernie and a lot of other moonbats
Democrats do not want pure socialism. This is a fantasy, a myth created by right wing know nothings. We are proud of our country and it's mix of capitalism and socialism. Socialism for all the necessities we collectively pay for through our taxes like police, fire, utilities, roads, social security, Medicare, Medicaid and our military. Capitalism for everything else. It has made us the envy of the world yet those with little to no civics or economics education simply resort to rhetoric filled with lies. To those who pretend like were on some tipping point of Democrats turning us into Venezuela, go fornicate a cactus, you'll get far more pleasure in that than lying about fellow Americans.
Oh yes OUR/MY brand of SOCIALISM is different. LMFAO!!!!! That's what they all said THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF MANKIND including Hugo Chavez.
Right. Tell that to Bernie and Maria. You know...the "rising stars" of the Democratic party that want want medicare for all, free college and "guaranteed jobs" for everyone...
As are most modern economies, ours is a "Mixed Market Economy" which is a mixture of capitolism and socialism. The word socialism has been demonized by the far right but then they all take their Social Security, Medicaid/Medicare, Jobless and VA benefits, farm subsidies, tax write-offs and any other socialist program they qualify for. Socialism is only bad when the other guy benefits...
Medicare for all is just expanding an existing successful program and is one of the only ways we're going to get medical costs under control. Free two year local junior colleges would be a great step in getting more Americans a better education. We obviously need it in this age of poorly educated Trump supporters who haven't the foggiest idea about civics and economics and for some stupid reason keep ridiculing higher education, the very thing that could pull them up out of the poverty they constantly complain about. As for "guaranteed jobs", this is not a widely supported idea and is totally misunderstood by its opponents. Most of the support for such an idea evaporated as Obama reduced unemployment from 15% down to only 4.7%. Yes, even during the Trump administration he added to those gains by reducing it a further 0.8% (golf clap for Donald) but it was the 10% drop under President Obama that made the value of a guaranteed work program disappear.
Just ran across another of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Socialist idiot gems. She thinks that GOVERNMENT provides us with public library services. She or her parents need a refund on that Boston U "economics/international relations" degree she got!
Another good article ...
LMAO. Your "brand" of Socialism is what the mystery is. All I ever hear is about the "socialism" that we already have. There is never any plan other than put as much as possible under government control and as soon as you point out the failures of Socialism, which are ALL OF THEM. Then all of a sudden it's a "different kind of Socialism". Never mind that no one can explain how it works or how it will be paid for or how it will succeed where all others throughout the history of mankind have failed. Sorry if I am not buying into that tripe. I wasn't born yesterday.
Ah yes, yet another adnauseam right wing muttering of the word--socialism--to deflect from the right wing's adoration of fascism.
After all, who in their right mind would want their country--allegedly the richest and most powerful in the World--to use that wealth and power for the betterment of the citizens and the society as a whole. Stick with the right wing--more tax cuts to those who neither need or deserve them--unintended pregnancies in every home--more money for war and conflict--and a Russian in every political pocket.
Another subscriber of the playbook that can't follow it properly. You aren't supposed to imply racism or start personal attacks until you start losing the debate. It makes you look like you've already lost and now you have nothing to fall back on.
Anyone in their right mind that has read a history book knows that this is complete and utter bullshit. That socialism has killed more people than anything else on the face of the earth, and that this is the standard line of bullshit they use to get the ignorant to buy into it. It is how Socialists got elected in both Brazil and Venezuela. THE POOR ALWAYS SUFFER UNDER SOCIALISM.
Wrong again. Religion is the culprit you seek.
Lenin and Stalin are poor sounding boards.
Besides, I always assumed America was better than that. Then again, there are those conserva/fascists that...…….just refuse any and every possible advancements.
Oh. And racism with personal attacks? More proof that conservatives have nowhere to go and all day to get there.