Leftists jump on this site or jump up on some cable television show and attack conservatives like myself who call the President a “socialist” or refer to his agenda as a “socialist” agenda. Their constant, repeated retort to my commentary is “you don’t understand what socialism is”. They continue on to claim that “socialism” is really a racist code word, hate speech, or used to incite violence.
Really?
Since they don’t understand “socialism” let us first define it for them. According to Princeton University, socialism is “a political theory advocating state ownership of industry” or “an economic system based on state ownership of capital.” Doesn’t that sound A LOT like President Obama’s policies?
Under President Obama we have seem a massive expansion in the Federal government into the banking industry. The Federal Government bought AIG, has a massive stake in CitiGroup, and has taken over, seized or closed 84 other banks so far in 2009. The government bailed out a number of other banks including funneling Billions of dollars into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who hold more than half of all mortgages in this country and were already quasi-government entities. Government officials are also deeply involved everything from whether or not a lender can foreclose on someone for not paying their mortgage, to what kind of mortgage the borrower can obtain in the first place.
Under President Obama we bought two of the three largest automobile companies in America, General Motors and Chrysler. Government officials and unelected administration Czars now oversee such things as compensation, marketing, dealership locations and even what cars these companies can manufacture. The government has also put in greater restrictions and emissions standards on all car companies who sell in the United States. Additionally, the federal government under President Obama passed and funded $3 Billion for a “Cash for Clunkers” scheme designed solely to sell more automobiles.
President Obama has also proposed and the House of Representatives have passed a so-called “Cap and Trade” bill which would, among other things, “cause energy prices to skyrocket” and “bankrupt the coal industry“. It will do this by increasing regulation and mandates on everything from home builders and home sellers to energy companies. Cap and Trade would also create the market for a make believe product called “energy credits” that will be traded in an exchange similar to the stock market. Guess who determines who gets the energy credits and how many they get? The federal government of course.
Reports have been circulating about federal measures to shut down the Internet in cases of emergency and there are numerous reports of the FCC’s new “diversity officer” seeking ways to enforce a back door “fairness doctrine” controlling what news, information and commentary can be played on the radio by private companies.
And of course the big elephant in the room is ObamaCare… the President’s evolving plans for taking control over the health care industry, mandating everything from what kind of insurance you can buy to what kind of care you receive and who can get life-saving surgery, or who should just “take a pill“.
Princeton University is certainly no bastion of conservatism, so I doubt their definition of “socialism” is part of some vast right wing conspiracy. So if they define socialism as “a political theory advocating state ownership of industry,” how are President Obama’s plans not socialism? We have government state ownership over the largest players in the financial industry and state control over much of the mortgage industry. We have state ownership over two of the three largest domestic car companies. We have government trying to own or control the energy industry. We have government trying to take over the talk radio and seeking control of the Internet. Now we have government trying to control the health care industry, mandating what doctors can do, what insurance you can receive, and proposals for state ownership of the so-called “public option”.
How is this not the very definition of socialism?
I agree that Obama may be a socialist, but are the Republicans any different? Their “Seniors bill of rights” suggests Medicare spending can never be restrained. Whatever doctors and their patients want to bill, the taxpayers have to cough up, no questions asked. Isn’t that also socialist?
Hello,
I’ll start-off by saying I’m a socialist that doesn’t like Obama. Reason? It’s because Obama isn’t a socialist; he’s most likely a Social-Democrat (or as far as I can see). Bailing out the bankers and corporations, continuing his Imperialist project, his plan doesn’t nationalize all of health industry too…Sir, that isn’t Socialism.
Socialism is workers’ ownership of means of production and state offering free necessary services like Health-care, education and such.
Both Democrats and Republicans are capitalists, please realize that..
He may not be socialist enough in your eyes, but he’s clearly a socialist. And if you don’t think his health care plan will result in the nationalization of the entire health care industry, you aren’t paying attention. He’s said himself he’s for single-payer. He and many of his political allies have also readily admitted that this is a backdoor to single-payer. If any of the plans presented before the break were to pass, there would be no private health care within 10 years. All insurance would be run by the government and thus all authorizations and payments for services would be decided upon by the government. The slippery slope from there isn’t difficult to see if only you’d open your eyes.
Probably it’d be nationalized, I don’t know..but just because he isn’t a supporter of Free Market Capitalism doesn’t mean he’s a Socialist..he’s a “Social-Democrat” as far as Capitalism goes..Social-Democrats are still Capitalists even if they dislike the Free Market
We could discuss the Fed, The Banks, The Bailouts, The Autos, Health Care, etc. Obama’s answer to every problem is “state ownership of industry”. Princeton defines that as socialism.
You call it what you want. Looks like a socialist. Talks like a socialist. Walks like a socialist. It’s a socialist. Plain and simple.
This is how much America Elephant understands about socialism:
Under President Obama we have seem a massive expansion in the Federal government into the banking industry. The Federal Government bought AIG, has a massive stake in CitiGroup, and has taken over, seized or closed 84 other banks so far in 2009.
From the September 16th 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal:
The U.S. government seized control of American International Group Inc. — one of the world’s biggest insurers — in an $85 billion deal that signaled the intensity of its concerns about the danger a collapse could pose to the financial system.
George W. Bush was president when AIG was bailed out.
From the November 24th, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal:
The federal government agreed Sunday night to rescue Citigroup Inc. by helping to absorb potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in losses on toxic assets on its balance sheet and injecting fresh capital into the troubled financial giant.
The agreement marks a new phase in government efforts to stabilize U.S. banks and securities firms. After injecting nearly $300 billion of capital into financial institutions, federal officials now appear to be willing to help shoulder bad assets, on a targeted basis, from specific institutions.
From the December 19th issue of the New York Times:
WASHINGTON — The emergency bailout of General Motors and Chrysler announced by President Bush on Friday gives the companies a few months to get their businesses in order, but hands off to President-elect Barack Obama the difficult political task of ruling on their future.
The plan pumps $13.4 billion by mid-January into the companies from the fund that Congress authorized to rescue the financial industry. But the two companies have until March 31 to produce a plan for long-term profitability, including concessions from unions, creditors, suppliers and dealers.
YOU, sir, are the one that needs to do the research.
One thing is clear; AmericanElephant has absolutely no compunction about smearing Barack Obama a socialist for continuing an economic agenda that George W. Bush enacted.
Sorry, I should have put this in quotes:
“Under President Obama we have seem a massive expansion in the Federal government into the banking industry. The Federal Government bought AIG, has a massive stake in CitiGroup, and has taken over, seized or closed 84 other banks so far in 2009.”
I think everyone gets the point; that you’re only interested in socialism as a pejorative term. Furthermore, you’re more than willing to overlook historical fact (either out of ignorance or intention) to make cheap rhetorical points.