Jeering socialism — or the definition of socialism
The Denver Post has got to be kidding.
It is not the ‘’two or three spectacularly bad ... policy proposals’’ (The Post’s words, not mine) that make the Democratic Party, increasingly, the party of socialism.
It is the fact that centrist Democrat John Hickenlooper was booed repeatedly at the largest and most influential of 50 state Democratic conventions — for trying to tell them that ‘’socialism is not the answer.’’
It isn’t often that I agree with The Post Editorial Board and have been a voice against many of their leftist driven ideologies. The reaction of the booing received by Hickenlooper is clear evidence of where a segment of the radical Democrats wants to take the party. His statement was 100 percent correct. But, the “loonies” infatuated with socialism want to rule.
Hickenlooper has always been a left-of-center moderate willing to work with the opposition party and it has worked well during his two terms, especially on energy development. The state has prospered.
In my opinion, he would make the best presidential candidate for the party. But the party has lost all sense of reason and the split is obvious for all to see. Is this the beginning of the end for the traditional Democratic Party? Or will it rename itself the Bernie Sanders’ Socialist Democratic Party?
It will be a most interesting primary to pick a candidate.
The editorial along with a letter to the editor referencing Venezuela are perfect examples of why candidate John Hickenlooper was recently booed by Democrats for railing against socialism.
It’s not because Democrats, even those who insist on calling themselves social democrats, unfortunately, are advocating for the textbook definition of socialism, a system in which the government owns all means of production and distribution, and there is no private ownership or enterprise.
Not even Bernie Sanders is advocating for that. So in joining Republicans in that mischaracterization of what progressive Democrats are advocating when they support policies such as universal quality health care as a human right, he is echoing the GOP’S chosen plan of attack.
The programs Hickenlooper and Republicans point to as detrimental to a prosperous middle class are no different than those already in place in other modern western democratic nations that in fact have middle classes that rate higher than ours in prosperity, upward mobility and even general happiness.
The idea that programs essentially no different than those that have long been a part of our economic and social fabric, such as Social Security and Medicare, will destroy freedom and prosperity is absurd. Playing right into that tired old GOP red scare narrative is what got Hickenlooper deservedly booed because it’s a losing strategy for Democrats if ever there was one.
Why are Americans so ignorant of what socialism is in today’s world? We are always blasted with the Venezuelan example of the worst that socialism can be. Capitalism and socialism can be considered to be on opposite ends of the economic/political spectrum. The purest form of either is probably not efficient or tolerable.
Democratic socialism, as in Scandinavian countries (not Venezuela) is very positive. Citizens of these countries have extremely high standards of living without the insecurities Americans face concerning education, health care, and retirement.
Consider democratic socialism for our country. Remember we have socialized many aspects of American life already such as your fire department, police department, library, airport and roads. Public ownership of essential services is a form of socialism. Or would you rather have to own your own fire department?