Obama and Socialism

I’ve noted the absurdity of the right wingers who consider  a fairly centrist politician such as Barack Obama to be a socialist several times in the past, including quoting socialists who are amazed that Obama would be lumped with them. This is nothing new, but as CNN has made mention of it today I figured it is worth repeating once again:

“Socialized health care” is on its way. The “socialist agenda” is taking over America. And best of all, Barack Obama, a “committed socialist ideologue,” is in the Oval Office.

But Wharton, co-chair of the Socialist Party USA, sees no reason to celebrate. He’s seen people with bumper stickers and placards that call Obama a socialist, and he has a message for them: Obama isn’t a socialist. He’s not even a liberal.

“We didn’t see a great victory with the election of Barack Obama,” Wharton says, ” and we certainly didn’t see our agenda move from the streets to the White House.”

Obama’s opponents have long described him as a socialist. But what do actual socialists think about Obama? Not much, says Wharton.

“He’s the president whose main goal is to protect the wealth of the richest 5 percent of Americans.”

He and others say the assertion that Obama is a socialist is absurd.

“It makes no rational sense. It clearly means that people don’t understand what socialism is.”

The claim that Obama’s main goal is to “protect the wealth of the richest 5 percent of Americans” is also inaccurate, and I sure don’t see the richest 5 percent believing this. However criticism from socialists is understandable as Obama’s goal is definitely to preserve our free market system and his polices are quite far from socialism.

10 Comments

  1. 1
    Eric Dondero says:

    He’s not a Socialist.  He’s a Marxist.  Or perhaps even more accurately a National Socialist.  He wants the government to take over everything.  He wants to regulate us to death.  And he wants to confiscate all our income.  There’s no other way to describe him then an extremist Authoritarian.  We’re not quite at the point of Gas Chambers, or mass exterminations.  But the Road to Serfdom eventually leads to that path. 

  2. 2
    pat1944 says:

    RT @ronchusid: Socialists sure don't see Obama as one of them despite teabagger claims. #p2 http://is.gd/buKfN

  3. 3
    brettr4763 says:

    RT @ronchusid: Socialists sure don't see #Obama as one of them despite #teabagger claims. #p2 http://is.gd/buKfN #teaparty #socialism

  4. 4
    Ron Chusid says:

    Normally I don’t bother with such off the wall comments which are totally out of touch with reality, but there is a lengthy discussion of this on Facebook and copying this over there will give everyone a good laugh.

    Not only is your characterization of Obama absurd, considering your advocacy of what would amount to a military dictatorship in previous discussions here, you are hardly in any position to accuse anyone of being an authoritarian.

  5. 5
    Xero says:

    “He wants the government to take over everything.”
    Yes, he does this by creating 32 million new customers for a private industry.
    The rest of your inane comment is pure, unadulterated projection. Its how you would run government.

  6. 6
    R.T. Elkin says:

    A president who “wants to confiscate all our income” does not provide 95% of the population with a tax-cut, you paranoid schlub.

  7. 7
    Eric Dondero says:

    Umm, there was just a report released that only 47% of Americans now pay income taxes.  How can you cut taxes to those who don’t even pay them? 

  8. 8
    Ron Chusid says:

    That 47% number is misleading. Plus you are ignoring the facts that there are many taxes beyond income taxes, and that many people who are not paying income taxes this year are not paying due to Obama’s tax cuts.

  9. 9
    Ron Chusid says:

    You must really hate previous presidents who taxed at much higher rates than Obama. For example, Ronald Reagan.

  10. 10
    cynicjohn says:

    The claim that Obama is a Socialist is the cover story for the underlying hate which powers teabaggers and their Corporate Leaders.

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