Back in September 2019, I posted a blog article titled “Was Jesus a Socialist?” Soon after making that post, I became increasingly aware of democratic socialism. Even though I am not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA, the largest socialist organization in the U.S., founded in 1982), I now self-identify as a democratic socialist.
Democratic
socialism is often misunderstood and unfairly maligned. For example, on July 1, Gary Bauer’s
daily “American Values” email began,
We will celebrate America’s 250th birthday this weekend. Whether America celebrates its 300th birthday 50 years from now is increasingly in doubt because our constitutional Republic is in danger! The danger to our freedom is not Donald Trump, who wants to make America great again. The danger is the radical Left that hates America and wants to “fundamentally transform” it.**
Bauer goes on
to write, “Yesterday’s election results in Colorado prove that the communist / Marxist
victories in New York City were not just a fluke isolated to New York City.” Then
he laments, “An anti-American, pro-Hamas communist defeated a far-left, 30-year
incumbent in the Democrat primary for the Denver-area House seat.”
Bauer is an
educated man, and he no doubt knows the distinct difference between democratic
socialism and communism. But he can conflate the two in order to increase
donations from the MAGA supporters who don’t know the difference. (People
seeking donations don’t necessarily tell the whole truth in order to profit
from the ignorance of the general public.)
It is a push to
say that Rep. DeGette is “far-left,” but it is almost libelous to say that
Melat Kiros is anti-American, pro-Hamas, and/or a communist. In that June 30 Colorado
primary election, 29-year-old candidate Kiros defeated the incumbent, who was
seeking her 15th term, first elected when Kiros was still an infant
in her native Ethiopia.
Kiros is
aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, but that is far from communism.
DSA’s platform centers on things like Medicare for all, workers’ rights, and
curbing corporate/billionaire power through democratic and electoral means.
Kiros’s own
reported platform—ending U.S. aid to Israel, Medicare for all, abolishing ICE—is
directly linked to DSA’s standard policy agenda but certainly not to communist aspirations.
DSA’s and Kiros’s platform are far different from the classic communist program
of abolishing private property via revolution and one-party state control.
On July 3, President
Trump delivered an anti-communist speech at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South
Dakota. Unlike Bauer, it is quite likely that the POTUS doesn’t clearly
understand the difference between communism and democratic socialism.
Three days
later, Robert Reich posted “Why Is He Using the Communist Trump
Card?” on his
Substack account. Reich writes, “Trump has run out of cards to play in the
midterm elections, which is why he’s now talking about the “communist menace.”
Reich continues
accusing the POTUS of “resorting to the oldest of right-wing tropes—accusing
Democrats (especially a rising generation of new, young, vigorous Democratic
politicians) of being commies.”
In that July 3
speech, Trump asserted, “There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in
our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally
opposed to our way of life and our great success. You can be a communist, or
you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.”
Unlike Bauer,
perhaps Trump doesn’t know the difference between democratic socialism and
communism. Unfortunately, many of his MAGA supporters continue to take what he
says as true and trustworthy, so many of them have strong negative feelings
toward democratic socialism.
A Facebook
friend sent me a screenshot from Fox News showing what the Democratic Socialists
of America advocate, and those were given as reasons for their opposition to
the DSA. The image showed Medicare for all, college for all, housing for all,
32 hour workweek, tax the rich, Green New Deal, and free Palestine.
Except for the latter,
which is widely (and wrongly) interpreted as being “anti-Semitic,” the other
five are quite popular with most U.S. citizens except for the die-hard MAGA
supporters.
I continue to advocate
for democratic socialism, which aims to expand public ownership and workplace
democracy while preserving political democracy. It’s about shifting more
economic power to workers and the public. That also shifts the power from the
control of billionaires to the workers in the 98% who are not wealthy.
That sounds
good to me. What do you think?
_____
** Gary Bauer (b. 1946 in Kentucky) grew up as a Southern Baptist
and graduated from Georgetown College (in Kentucky), a traditional SB school (similar
to William Jewell College, my alma mater). He started an organization with the
name “American Values” in 2007 and has been the president of it until the
present. He sends out American Values emails almost daily. He has long been one
of the prime leaders of conservative evangelicalism in the U.S.
I agree entirely! I was a founding member in 1972 or 73 of the DSOC (Democratic Socialists of America) one of the two organizations that merged to become the DSA. Coincidentally just yesterday I sent our 2026 financial contribution to the DSA. I have liberal friends who think it unwise to use the word "socialist" that it shoots whatever progressive movement there is in this country in the foot. I disagree because I think it doesn't matter. The informed understand the difference, and the uninformed masses will listen to whomever they listen to. Remember when every protest and civil rights movement in the USA in the 1950s and 60s were labeled "communist" or "communist inspired"? Then Soviet communism collapsed. I thought, finally we can get past this smearing of every liberal movement and maybe better unite as a nation. Then the right turned liberalism" into the "L-word"! And now, to MAGA, everyone not far right is a "communist." This is just the same old playbook that far-right groups and parties play, and apparently, in much of the world still, it plays well with the uninformed who operate in silos of misinformation. I think your blog entry explains why it simply doesn't matter. People in general and Americans in particular are simply not as rational as we liberals like to think. Thanks, Leroy, for highlighting this issue.
ReplyDeleteOn the NOTUS website this morning, "Democrats are the new communists — at least that’s what Republicans are saying. During his Fourth of July speech, Donald Trump used the words “communist” or “communism” 11 times."
ReplyDeleteIf you are not familiar with NOTUS, it is the acronym for "News of the United States" and it is a digital news outlet established in 2023.
DeleteAbout 6:30 this morning, local Thinking Friend David Nelson, who (like me) self-identifies as a democratic socialist, sent the following comments:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for sharing your article on Democratic Socialism. It is helpful in our attempt to educate the general public. Unfortunately, the current president has a large following of people who will believe the untruth he tells no matter what the truth is. The future of our precious democracy is at stake in this struggle. Reading the founding documents on the 4th of July reminded us again of the importance of our experiment and how fragile it remains. Press on, my good friend."
And here are comments from a Thinking Friend in New Mexico:
ReplyDelete"Yes, I think I am leaning toward Democratic Socialism as the best way to follow Jesus' command to "love one another as I have loved you." However, I am not certain 32 hr. work week is feasible for many occupations. As an elementary school teacher, I needed the 40 hour work week to complete my obligation to plan for and carry out instructional duties."
I am quite sure the DSA's advocacy of the 32-hour work week refers only to those laborers who are doing back-breaking, mind-numbing factory jobs. The 40-hour work week was gained by the labor unions, which would have been supported by democratic socialists, and that is probably the next step. But from what I was reading this morning, because of the growth of A.I., all workers may be forced into a four-day or even a three-day work week That will surely cause a lot of problems for a lot of people.
DeleteGenocide finally forced me out of the "lesser of two evils" Democratic voter I had been. So I voted for Jill Stein of the Green Party. I was frustrated that none of the minor parties (of left or right) seemed ready to govern, but I thought a. protest vote would carry more weight than just sitting out the election, as millions did, which Democratic leaders still pretend had nothing to do with genocide and other policy failings.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe DSA will either muscle its way into liberating the Democratic party, or even replacing it. (Ask the Federalists and the Whigs, it can happen.) Anyway, as we sit here four months out from the voting harvest, I am reminded of Jesus' words, "Do you not say, 'Four month more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting." (John 4:35) We just have to face up to the fact that the Democratic leadership was more concerned about defeating Bernie Sanders than it was in defeating Trump, and just this week was more concerned with defeating Graham Platner, and now probably Troy Jackson, than in defeating Maine Senator Susan Collins. The billionaires are playing good cop/bad cop with their two wholly owned subsidiaries, the Republicans and the Democrats.
As has always been the general case, we listen to and get our information from those with whom we already agree. How many Americans can tell the difference between the economic systems of socialism and communism? Too often the two are conflated into one mash always under the thumb of a dictator. I am finding it increasingly difficult to see how a Christian cannot be a socialist in some form. Is a democratic republic the only acceptable form of government for a Christian?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the one party system you mentioned as a part of communism, the NC Republican dominated legislature has passed a law saying all elections in counties and municipalities which have been nonpartisan must now have party identifications by candidates' names on the ballot. The state has been changing slowly but this will only intensify the divisions in our political activities. I have not heard this clarified, but a part of that same bill said any candidate in a general election must identify with a recognized party. If I understand that correctly, as an unaffiliated voter, I would not be able to run for office in the general election. NC now with its "legal" redistricting is practically a one party state.