*In other words, President Obama is not a socialist, marxist, or communist.*
On 10/12/10, dick <[email protected]> wrote: > > So not only do the Dems running for office not want this turkey, neither do > the socialists. That, however, does nothing to say he is or is not a > socialist. > > > On 10/12/2010 06:12 PM, Tommy News wrote: > > Is Obama a Socialist? A Socialist Weighs in > Posted by Brian > Montopoli<http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-503544_162-503544.html?contributor=10361558> > 188 > comments<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20019089-503544.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody#addcomm> > > - > - 10diggsdigg > - > - Share > - E-mail > - Print > - Font > > (Credit: AP) > > According to a Democracy Corps poll released over the summer, a majority of > likely voters believe that the word "socialist" is a fair way to describe > President > Obama<http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/230874/55-percent-likely-voters-find-socialist-accurate-label-obama>. > The word is often used by the president's harshest critics, and not just > those on the fringe: In March, Republican National Committee chair Michael > Steele complained > <http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/03/obamas_socialist_healthcare_go.html>that > the president was pushing a "radical socialist health care 'reform' > experiment." You can buy an "Obama is a socialist" bumper > sticker<http://www.zazzle.com/obama+socialist+bumperstickers> > . > > So what does an actual socialist think about the idea that Mr. Obama > deserves the label? > > Not much. > > Billy Wharton, the 41-year-old co-chair of the Socialist Party USA, said in > an interview that the president's agenda is nothing like the vision that his > group espouses for the country. > > Start with employment: As the government announced today, the unemployment > rate currently stands at 9.6 > percent<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/08/business/main6938759.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;2>. > Under socialism, he said, everyone has a right to a job - which means that > the unemployment rate would, essentially, be zero. If the private sector > didn't provide enough jobs, Wharton said, a socialist government would > create jobs to fill the gap. > > Wharton pointed to the bank bailout - passed under President Bush but > supported by President Obama - as an example of where socialist and Obama > agendas differ. "We would have used that money to create a national jobs > system," he said, calling for a "system of cooperatives that would be run by > workers themselves." > > Then there's health care: Wharton's Socialist Party supports the idea of a > single-payer health care system in which the health care companies would be > "abolished." The bill passed under the Obama administration didn't even come > close to such a system - even the "public option," the government-run health > care plan, did not make it into the bill. The bill that passed actually > ended up creating *more* customers for health care companies thanks to the > individual mandate. > > "We really see the corporation as being the most undemocratic influence in > capitalist society," said Wharton, who believes "regular people" should be > able to decide what gets produced and consumed. > > Wharton, who penned a Washington Post op-ed > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031301899.html%20>on > this topic last year, said the use of the word socialist by opponents of the > president "taps into a long tradition of paranoia in American politics," > most notably in the 1950s. He complains of a "hysterical tone of a farcical > McCarthyism" in the current debate over the president. > > He also suggested the use of the word as an insult has become less > effective as more Americans have grown up in a post-Cold War era. > > "People under the age of 25 weren't educated in a Cold War period," he > said. "So when they hear the word socialism, they don't automatically draw a > negative conclusion." > > As for the president, Wharton says socialists see him as a "hedge-fund > Democrat" - someone unwilling to take what they see as necessary steps like > nationalizing banks or keeping public money from flowing to private > corporations. Instead of supporting programs like Social Security and > Medicare, he says, Mr. Obama is doing the bidding of the wealthiest > Americans. > > And for those still insist the president is his ideological brother? > > "I'd invite them to ask a real socialist what a socialist is," says > Wharton. > ------------------------------ > *Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read > more of his posts > here<http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-503544_162-503544.html?contributor=10361558>. > Follow Hotsheet on > Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Political-Hotsheet/136227773084919>and > Twitter <http://twitter.com/CBSNewsHotSheet>.* > > > More: > > http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20019089-503544.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody > > -- > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. > Have a great day, > Tommy > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at > http://www.PoliticalForum.com/<http://www.politicalforum.com/> > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at > http://www.PoliticalForum.com/<http://www.politicalforum.com/> > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -- Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. Have a great day, Tommy -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
