[planetpatrol]

Calling Democrats socialists is about on par with calling Republicans fascists. Its a red flag that the speaker isnt seeking a sincere discussion so much as a chance to hear themselves talk on a topic they've become pointlessly polarized on. Tell me Bush is the new Hitler or that Bill Clinton is a socialist and I'll write off everything else you say as the ravings of a nut. Make your case based on what people really are and not what you imagine them to be, its a lot more effective. There is something about people on both sides who get so into the fight they lose perspective on the real debate. You're not going to make the DU guy suddenly realize that his party is a front for socialism, you're just going to make yourself easier to dismiss by using overcharged labels - whats the point of that?

[Sweetjustusnow]

"You're not going to make the DU guy suddenly realize that his party is a front for socialism, "

Isn't it? And if not, show me how it isn't.

[43north]

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!

[IrishCatholic]

Uhm, I beg to differ. Meet the Press May 22,2005 Howard Dean was promoting Bernie Sanders as the next senator for Vermont. When confronted that Sanders was a socialist Dean replied that he wasn't. Russert said that not only was he a socialist but that he had said so on the floor of Congress. Dean replied that it was a matter of semantics. Sanders voted with the Democrats 98% of the time anyway. Here is the give and take:
MR. RUSSERT: In your home state of Vermont, there's a vacancy for the United States Senate about to occur. Bernie Sanders, the congressman from Vermont, wants to run for that seat. He is a self- described avowed socialist. DR. DEAN: Well, that's what he says. He's really a populist. MR. RUSSERT: But is there room in the Democratic Party for a socialist? DR. DEAN: Well, first of all, he's not a socialist, really. MR. RUSSERT: He... DR. DEAN: He hasn't said that for a while. MR. RUSSERT: Oh, he has a--he wrote in his book: "Outside or in the House, I am a Democratic socialist." DR. DEAN: Well, a Democratic socialist--all right, we're talking about words here. And Bernie can call himself anything he wants. He is basically a liberal Democrat, and he is a Democrat that--he runs as an Independent because he doesn't like the structure and the money that gets involved. And he actually has, I think, some good points about campaign finance reform. The bottom line is that Bernie Sanders votes with the Democrats 98 percent of the time. And that is a candidate that we think... MR. RUSSERT: So you'd support him? DR. DEAN: We may very well end up supporting him. We need to work some things out because it's very important for us not to split the votes in some of the other offices as well. MR. RUSSERT: In 1996 you said you would never have voted for Bernie Sanders. Instead, you opted in recent years to leave the ballot blank. DR. DEAN: Bernie and I have had our difficulties over the years. We've had our strong disagreements. He's a strong personality. We're fighting for the future of America, and a Bernie Sanders in the United States Senate is going to be a whole lot better than somebody who will vote to confirm right-wing judges, somebody who will vote to undo minority rights, somebody who will vote to kill Social Security. This is a battle where personalities and differences have to be put aside, and we have to do what's right for America. MR. RUSSERT: You describe... DR. DEAN: And Bernie Sanders will be a strong candidate.
Sorry if the cut and paste isn't good. I got it from the transcript : msnbc.msn.com/id/7924139. Or, you could just type in "meet the press transcript may 22 2005" like I did on Yahoo. It is about halfway down. The point is, that if the head of the DNC says that a socialist is just a liberal democrat, is your position really still valid? After that time I have kept my tagline the same. Write off everything I say as the ravings of a nut? Maybe you better check out the transcript first.

[Yardstick]

Calling Democrats socialists is about on par with calling Republicans fascists.

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.

[reasonisfaith]

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.