You can tell the level of desperation among Republicans as the the name calling escalates in the weeks leading up to the November election.
For years the term liberal was the derogatory epithet to use against Democrats. It worked for almost three decades.
As the McCain campaign failed to get traction after the Palin selection fiasco, Democratic plans were labeled socialistic by none other than the fashion impaired vice presidential candidate. Sort of:
“I'm not going to call him a socialist,” Palin said. “But as Joe the plumber has suggested, in fact he came right out and said it, it sounds like socialism to him. And he speaks for so many Americans who are quite concerned now after hearing finally what Barack Obama's true intentions are with his tax and economic plan.”
I know some good old fashion red-baiting when I see it. The Governor from Alaska, not content with ripping off her taxpayers with fancy holidays for her family at taxpayer expense, does not even have the courage to stand forth honestly before America and tell us what she thinks.
Cowardice at its best; thank you, Joe McCarthy.
Bill O'Reilly does not mince words, sort of:
Bill O'Reilly Calls Barack Obama "Communist" on ABC's "The View"
Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News Channel host, called Sen. Barack Obama a "communist" while on "The View" on Wednesday.
O'Reilly, the host of Fox News' show "The O'Reilly Factor," called Obama a "communist," "No, let me take that back," said O'Reilly. "He's a socialist".
Funny thing about all of this is it revolves around their distress that Obama will not continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. The logic is simple. If the wealthy pay more taxes, then their proportion of support for government programs goes up and the responsibility for the middle class and the poor drops. That is a redistribution of wealth. Take your pick, either socialism or communism.
As for the $800 billion bailout of the biggest corporations in the world with executives making over $300 million a year in bonuses, that is not socialism.
Tommorrow we prove Sarah Palin is a Communist.
In which state does each citizen get a $3500 check from the government each year? Answer Alaska. Who increasde this amount just recently? Sarah Palin.
Posted by: Dave Reid | October 23, 2008 at 09:58 AM
Least someone is telling the truith. Good going Sarah...
Posted by: txyankee | October 23, 2008 at 10:13 AM
The problem with Sarah is she is going to get back to us with the answer. I'm still waiting for that answer. Maybe she can run with Elizabeth from the View in 2012. Please bring on 2008 election so we can send her back to Nome
Posted by: Rusty | October 23, 2008 at 04:51 PM
Hmmmm. Liberal-socialist-communist and Martian! As in: Wow! Obama is so different, he might be from Mars!
Posted by: Katrina | October 23, 2008 at 06:01 PM
Let's keep a clear head about ideological labels:
Socialism doesn't mean you get a transfer of wealth. Socialism means worker control over capital and the means of production. These are very different things. In political economy and science, liberalism is very, very different from socialism - some might even say philosophically incompatible.
This demonstrates yet again the willful ignorance of reality and truth but willingness to twist things to appear just barely plausible, so as to trick and scare people into maybe buying into what they're saying. That's their version of politics - it's not a contest of ideas, but a contest of who can bastardize and abuse them.
No wonder conservatism is dying as an ideologically- and philosophically-coherent take on the world. God speed to any nation that subscribes to it electorally - including ours. November 4th 2008 isn't the election of a new president so much as it is an opportunity for our country to move in an entirely new, non-conservative, direction.
Posted by: Peter Rickman | October 23, 2008 at 07:32 PM
Doesn't Joe the Plumber owe back taxes? And what a big head to think that a guy making 40 grand a year could buy a 250,000 dollar company. Stupid.
Some role model.
Posted by: Brian | October 24, 2008 at 06:15 PM