Posted on 01/28/2006 9:58:00 AM PST by engrpat
Practically speaking, there is very little difference between communists, socialists, and fascists.
Demoncrats exhibit all three characteristics in varying degrees.
Most Freepers will call a spade a spade. I'm not going to mince words when dealing with America-hating lieberals. If that turns them off to my message, so be it. The TRUTH will set them free!
I'm sorry newbie, but I don't see anything wrong with an organization that wants to help disabled veterans
Neither do I. I'm just sorry I mixed up their URL with that of the "democratic socialists of America".
"Do not confuse Socialists with Communists."
Well there is a difference between disabled sports USA as democratic socialists of America
That's for sure.
Now if it was "Mental Midgets USA" and "democratic socialists USA" we'd have a pretty close match.
But no such symmetry exists. While there are literally no fascist Republicans, there is at least one socialist Democrat (Bernie Sanders). And he must not be too much of an odd man out in the Democrat party because Howard Dean publically praised Sanders not long ago. And there are many Democrats who, though not full-blown out-of-the-closet socialists, are members of the Progressive Caucus, which is just a small step away.
Plus there's the simple fact that the great ideological struggle in the West is between socialism and liberalism (liberal like Hayek). These camps exist in the US, just as they exist in the other Western nations. The parliaments of most western nations have explicitly socialist parties, like Canada's NDP. Here, the socialist camp is contained within the Democrat party. Any honest liberal (modern liberal) who has bothered to truly examine his ideas knows that they take a lot of basic content from socialism. He and a modern socialist could sit down over tea and have a lovely, agreement-filled conversation about politics and political theory. Not so with a Republican and a fascist.
So I think that drawing a connection between socialism and liberalism is fair game, if done carefully. The key is to assert what's true and not to go beyond that. I definitely agree, though, that if you push it too far, you open yourself to being dismissed as a kook.
Its germane to note when making the case that Democrats are socialists the Congressman you cited is not in fact a member of the Democratic party but a loud and proud independent. Thats a pretty big problem for your argument, its like saying that a Libertarian and a Republican are the same because they often vote the same way. Bernie Sanders has a 34 year long political career, in all of that time he has never been a Dem. Dean is just positioning himself to look like he has a hand in events beyond his control. The truth is Sander is so widely popular he's a virtual lock to win Jeffords seat in the senate. If you knew anything about the guy you'd know he regularly rips the Dems as a "do nothing spineless party".
The problem with your point is that Sanders, though nominally an independent, votes with the Dems 98% of the time:
Dean: "The bottom line is that Bernie Sanders votes with the Democrats 98 percent of the time."
Such strong correlation between an avowed socialist and the Democrats is telling.
its like saying that a Libertarian and a Republican are the same because they often vote the same way.
Well, like Ronald Reagan said, libertarianism is the heart of conservatism. The link between the two is obvious to anyone who studies them. A similar linkage exists between liberalism and socialism. That's really the heart of the matter.
If you knew anything about the guy you'd know he regularly rips the Dems as a "do nothing spineless party".
Yeah, but conservatives rip the Republican party in the same way yet we still know they're on the same team. It's the same deal with Sanders and the Democrats. He's just frustrated with their impurity.
I agree that you'll discredit yourself if you try to make the claim that Democrats are Socialists. However, if the claim is that Democrats (or more precisely, liberals) have strong ideological ties to socialism, then I think there's a case to be made.
Sanders may be a Dem-voting indy, but he's also a self-described socialist.
Oh right! Big difference. Communists have Marx as their hero. And, Socialists have... Marx as theirs.
Those two evils are as opposite as ying and yang.
Did you make a wrong turn on the information highway? This is Free Republic. That kind of tripe doesn't fly too well here.
The democrats are socialists with every move they make. Their actions are consistent with the socialist goals of dissolving the family, eliminating private ownership and stifling free speech. And let’s not forget the fact that they can’t admit who they really are.
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