Democrats, Socialism, and how to insult (more than) half your party.

[Blue State Bandit]

Democrats don't lose because Republicans call them Socialists. Democrats lose because the world sees them cower when Republicans call them Socialists. Bernie doesn't cower from that label. He wears it like a badge, and will smack you down with it if necessary. The cold war is long over, and besides, Communism is not, and never was Socialism.

Anybody wants to call you a Socialist, let them proclaim their hatred for Socialism, and then you tell everybody in the room that he/she is going to take their Social Security away. Watch how fast they cower. It's not Soviet Security. We don't have Capitol Security, at least not the 99%. We call it Social Security for a reason.

And when the Republicans start putting the hammer and sickle next to Bernie, we'll throw the Koch Bros. in their face ('cause you know they will be funding the opposition) and ask them if they could explain how they can suckle at the tit of a fortune founded on money from the Nazis and Soviets, and not look like a hypocrite doing it.

This will be why, if Bernie loses in a tight race over a handful of super-delegates, Hillary will tank... hard.

[MuseRider]

1. Thank you. n/t

[daleanime]

2. Yeahup.....

[Agnosticsherbet]

3. Republicans are calling Ted Cruz a Socialist.

Kind of funny I they think about it.

[merrily]

22. Toss up whether that or his "natural born citizen" problems will do him in first.

[Agnosticsherbet]

36. That would about guarantee a Trump nomnation. The anti-establisment is strong in those two.

Interesting political season.

[blue neen]

4. Just an FYI.

It's "lose", not "loose".

Thank you.

[Blue State Bandit]

5. :derp:

thanks.

[blue neen]

6. No problem.

[libdem4life]

7. Don't forget the Bush Fortune...same song. Bunch of others, too...Carlyle Group, etc.

[TheBlackAdder]

37. GHWB called Bill Clinton a socialist and Social Engineer during the 1992 campaign. Oh, the irony! nt

[libdem4life]

38. Yeah, but then they go back stage and yuk it up. Not only at their "show" but the peons

they sic on each other. Just like divorce attorneys. I'll never forget seeing two of them in a bar after slicing and dicing each other and their respective clients into small pieces...having a friendly drink.

Politics is the same damn thing.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. If this keeps up Republicans will be telling seniors they'll protect Social Security from the Dems.

[merrily]

21. Republicans DID leave cuts to Social Security and Medicare on the table, where Obama had put them.

http://www.crewof42.com/news/conyers-on-jobs-weve-had-it-lays-out-obama-calls-for-protest-at-white-house/

Same for the "bi-partisan Cat Food Commission, headed by, for Democrats, Bowles, who had advocated cuts during the Clinton administration and for the Grand Bargain Committee. So, we defaulted to the sequester, proposed by Obama advisor Gene Sperling, though Sperling tried to deny it.

[Ken Burch]

9. As the late, great folk singer Faith Petric used to sing

"You Ain't Done Nothing If You Ain't Been Called A Red".

[socialist_n_TN]

41. That's kind of like what we used to say in the 60s about FBI files......

If you DON'T have one, you're doing it wrong.

[Live and Learn]

10. I always reply the word socialism comes from the word social as does society.

Therefore, a society indicates socialism by definition.

[global1]

14. Exactly - And We Have To Define The Term Before The Repugs And People Like Claire McCaskill....

define it. I like where you are with the term socialism, social and society. I also think that We The People have embraced the concept of 'social networks' and 'social networking' and they convey a friendly connotation.

We need to drive that thought in the minds of The People. We're long past the 'cold war' and the negative spin the Repugs and the establishment is trying to put on Socialism - just won't work anymore.

[Live and Learn]

15. And get the one percenters to understand that they only have what they do due to the societal

contract that can be revoked at anytime.

[merrily]

20. Please see Reply 18. Thank you.

[99th_Monkey]

11. "Wears it like a badge of honor" <-- this

And it's so healing and refreshing, after enduring 7+ years of Republican assholes shaming Obama with
the "S-word", to have a candidate with the cajones to stand tall for the party of FDR, Truman, Kennedy
and Johnson, and not give any quarter to disingenuous slurs for political gain.

Thanks for your OP. well said.

[Cassiopeia]

12. I don't think it will be a tight race.

It's going to be over by the end of Super Tuesday. The decision the Democratic party will need to make is whether to demand Hillary admits defeat and stops the needless attacks.

I doubt anyone will, they didn't in '08, and I don't think it will matter. Bernie stands up just fine regardless of how much bullshit gets dumped on him.

[lobodons]

13. Socialism is no longer a bad word

That is why you see the GOP now slamming Bernie for being a Communist. The GOP are masters at messaging. The GOP will make Bernie the Communist will stick. (They are already using it)

[Lazy Daisy]

17. funny thing

Even the most uneducated know how to use Google.
Hell, 4 yr olds do it

[merrily]

19. Senator Claire McCaskill (D), a campaign surrogate of Secretary Clinton, has been trying to make

socialist and Communist stick and she's dead wrong on both--and she knows it. Senator Sanders is a Democratic Socialist, not a socialist.

Let's stop pretending the GOP are the only ones doing things that are not very honest.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. Red baiting has been a popular campaign tactic for "not as bad" wing of Democratic party for decades

[merrily]

18. Can we please be clear that a Democratic Socialist is not the same as a socialist?

Posts in several forums of DU explain the differences, which are significant.

Thanks to Bernie's run, I have discovered that I am a Democratic Socialist, which is to say, I am a Twenty-First Century New Deal Democrat. However, I am by no means advocating government takeover of factories, hospitals and the like. Neither is Bernie. Not even close.

I used to describe myself as a New Deal Democrat. Now, I use the label "Democratic Socialist" because I think that so doing may help Senator Sanders because I am able to answer questions about the difference between a Democratic Socialist and a socialist and I am also able to state the many advantages of Democratic Socialism. More importantly, I think understanding the term and the benefits of Democratic Socialism will help Americans in general.

to poster ReTooled of jackpineradicals.org for creating this image after reading a post of mine stating that " I am Spartacus a Democratic Socialist."

[Katashi_itto]

24. Damn you, I am a Democratic Socialist!

[merrily]

25. LOL!

[Katashi_itto]

26. :)

[deutsey]

31. I've been a Democratic Socialist ever since I learned such a thing existed

Sanders' first Congressional victory back in the '90s was part of what enlightened me.

[OnionPatch]

39. Yes!

The "Democratic" part needs to be make clear and explained over and over. I know too many people (many independents) who don't know the difference. The word "Socialism" conjures up images of totalitarianism to them. The word "democratic" is in a way the opposite of totalitarian. It means we ALL get to decide which parts of our economic system are socialized and how. It means there is no totalitarianism involved AT ALL. IMO this can't be stressed and explained enough.

[merrily]

40. It also denotes that Democratic Socialists believe in working through the Democratic Party.

[Katashi_itto]

23. K&R! Down with 3rd Way, the Vichy Dems

[eridani]

27. An idea for a video--start out with a hammer and sickle, and then--

--have it blotted out by a Social Security or Medicare card.

[in_cog_ni_to]

30. Good one!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[DonCoquixote]

28. This one line can be it's own op

"Democrats don't lose because Republicans call them Socialists. Democrats lose because the world sees them cower when Republicans call them Socialists."

rinse, repeat, until toxic lies are washed out of head.

[Blanks]

34. Right...

If there was push back, like giving examples of how we already have a lot of socialism. The interstate highway system, lighthouses, bankruptcy etc.

[bvar22]

35. Unfortunately, it is not just the Republicans using the Red Baiting and politics by branding.

The Conservative, Hillary Wing has joined with Republicans in doing this too,
but that has become SOP for them. That is not really surprising. Hillary and her camp followers have joined with Republicans on most issues.

* Sanders wants to end the prohibition of marijuana. Clinton & The Republicans do not.

* Sanders wants to end the death penalty. Clinton and Th Republicans do not.

* Sanders wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Clinton and the Republicans do not.

* Sanders wants to break up the biggest banks. Clinton and The Republicans do not.

* Sanders voted against the Wall Street bailout. Clinton and the Republicans (and too many "Democrats) did not.

* Sanders introduced legislation to overturn Citizens United. Clinton and The Republicans did not.

* Sanders refuses to accept money from super PACs. Clinton and the Republicans do not.

* Sanders supports a single-payer healthcare system. Clinton and The Republicans do not.

* Sanders refrains from waging personal attacks for political gains. Clinton and The Republicans do not.

* Sanders considers climate change our nation's biggest threat. Clinton and The Republicans do not.

* Sanders opposed the Keystone XL Pipeline since day one. Clinton and the Republicans do not.

* Sanders voted against the Patriot Act. Clinton and the Republicans did not.

* Sanders voted against the war in Iraq. Clinton and The Republicans did not.

* Sanders wants to Raise (or eliminate) the CAP on FICA deductions. Clinton and the Republicans do not.

* Sanders opposes unrestricted "Free Trade". Clinton and the Republican do not.


Hillary sure seems to agree with Republicans a lot.
Those who support her have endorsed these Republican positions and more.
I don't,
that is why I am a Democrat, and voting for a Democrat....Bernie!

[in_cog_ni_to]

29. Bernie was Mayor of Burlington, VT for 8 years and has served in Congress for 25 years. Do people

honestly believe Vermonters would send a COMMUNIST to Congress for 25 years? Do people honestly believe Congress would allow a COMMUNIST to serve for 25 years? Do people honestly believe DEMOCRATS in Congress would Caucus with a COMMUNIST for 25 years?

Do people honestly believe Congress of the United States of America would allow a COMMUNIST to serve on THESE committees:


Environment and Public Works »

The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for dealing with matters related to the environment and infrastructure.


Energy and Natural Resources »

The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and nuclear waste policy, territorial policy, native Hawaiian matters, and public lands.


Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions »

The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Senate rules.


Budget »

The United States Senate Committee on Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal Government. The committee has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office.


Veterans' Affairs »

The United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs considers matters relating to the compensation of veterans, life insurance issued on account of service in the Armed Forces, national cemeteries, pensions of all wars, readjustment of servicemen to civil life, and veterans' hospitals and medical care.


Joint Economic Committee »

This joint committee of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives focuses on promoting maximum employment, production, and purchasing power


SO, HRH and all her Red-Baiting supporters can take their COMMUNIST bullshit and shove off because it's a MORONIC attack on a man who has served this country for 25 years, has caucused with Democrats the entire time he's been in Congress and has done absolutely nothing to deserve the COMMIE label. Your desperation is showing....you're going to lose. 99% > 1%. We The People will win.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[merrily]

32. EXCELLENT!

[WillyT]

33. + 1,000,000,000 What You Said !!!

[Uncle Joe]

42. Plus all that exists with a cherry on top.

[CharlotteVale]

43. K&R