Important headlines for July 23rd - The truth of the rise of Democratic Socialism
Bottom Line: These are stories you shouldn't miss and my takes on them...
Democratic socialism surging in the age of Trump - Sun Sentinel
Excerpt: As Donald Trump’s presidency stretches into its second year, democratic socialism has become a significant force in Democratic politics. Its rise comes as Democrats debate whether moving too far left will turn off voters.
There is little distinction made between the terms “democratic socialism” and “socialism” in the group’s literature. While Ringelstein and other DSA-backed candidates promote a “big-tent” philosophy, the group’s constitution describes its members as socialists who “reject an economic order based on private profit” and “share a vision of a humane social order based on popular control of resources and production, economic planning, equitable distribution, feminism, racial equality and non-oppressive relationships.”
Hot Take: There's no shortage of material to address here. But I'll start with the false premise. Democrat's Socialism rising had nothing whatsoever to do with Donald Trump. It had everything to do with Barak Obama. The average growth rate for the US economy is 3%. Under the Obama administration we never even had one. The average growth rate for his administration was 1.8%. For young adults who'd be educated within establishments that historically send 92% of their union's political dues to Democrats the ground work was already being laid. As those young adults entered adulthood during the Great Recession, followed by someone who said all of the right things in Barak Obama, but life didn't become appreciably better – they started to look elsewhere. With many of these young adults having been conditioned politically on the hard left – the only place to look would be farther to the left. Enter Bernie Sanders.
We still don't and never will know what would have happened to the Democrat's 2016 Presidential primary process had the Democrats not stacked the deck in favor of Hillary Clinton but make no mistake that Bernie Sanders on back of Barak Obama is what led to the current movement. Most Republicans weren't even taking Donald Trump seriously as a candidate by the time Bernie had become a political force – let alone Democrats. It's cheap, easy and wrong to suggest this has something to do with Trump. In fact, with record low minority unemployment rates and the best increase in net take home pay in 32 years – the likelihood that there are as many young people with the time on their hands to think socialism is a good idea again has to be rather low. And here's the thing. The idea that socialism ID'd as "Democratic" is different. Back to education for a moment. How did Hitler gain power? This just in... he was "Democratically" elected. In fact, here's and excerpt from his first speech after winning that crystalizes what he was selling...
Farmers, workers, and the middle class must unite to contribute the bricks wherewith to build the new Reich.
The National Government will therefore regard it as its first and supreme task to restore to the German people unity of mind and will. It will preserve and defend the foundations on which the strength of our nation rests. It will take under its firm protection Christianity as the basis of our morality, and the family as the nucleus of our nation and our state. Standing above estates and classes, it will bring back to our people the consciousness of its racial and political unity and the obligations arising therefrom.
Yes, there are references that are dated and specific to Germans in the early 1930's but what really do you get there...
We might unite the "workers" and middle class
We'll create unity
Christian morality
Families will be the nucleus
We'll govern beyond classes
Sounds warm and fuzzy right? This just in. He lied. Times change, the issues change, demographics change but socialism has always been built on a pack of lies. And before Hitler and related Socialists were "nationalists" they were "Democratically" elected Socialists. Learn your history. In the meantime, the rest of us will continue to focus on making the most of the best economy in well over a decade built on the most successful form of government ever created – which happens to be a republic. Not a Democracy – there's actually no such thing anywhere in the world. It doesn't exist.
Until Tomorrow...