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ck4829

(34,977 posts)
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:03 PM Jun 2019

I'm kinda glad Republicans are calling everything they don't like "socialism"...

And raising the specter of socialism.

Just imagine for a second, if our country became socialist, how oppressed we would all be... Heck, because of socialism as opposed to the non-socialist country we are now, we might even start imprisoning people for things politicians don't like and therefore become the country with the highest incarceration rate in the world.

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The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
1. It shows that they either don't know what socialism is or don't care
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:07 PM
Jun 2019

because they think they can stir up the old "red scare" from the '50s. When McConnell said granting statehood to Puerto Rico and D.C. was socialism that proved that they're just slinging bullshit. Since when did representation in Congress become socialism? That was just stupid.

Zambero

(8,954 posts)
2. Trump in turn could be portrayed as being a Commie sympathizer
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:13 PM
Jun 2019

Legitimizing Kim on a global scale with nothing to show for it, and portraying him as a fine human being who has the best interests of his people in mind. And former Soviet KGB honcho Putin as well. Did I forget to mention his brand name stuff still being made in China? Red Don richly deserves the title!

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
3. Except that neither Russia nor China - especially Russia - are really Communist any more.
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:18 PM
Jun 2019

China calls itself communist but Maoism is long gone, and Russia doesn't even pretend - it's now an authoritarian capitalist oligarchy.

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)
7. But in the electoral silly season hardly anyone knows that, or cares. They may even be confused...
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:33 PM
Jun 2019

about what North Korea is. Or the Socialist Republic of Vietnam?

But Trump has hammered home the idea that Venezuela and Cuba are the Marxist scum we have been warned about for oh so many years.

In the war of buzzwords, these things are the propagandists' tools.

Zambero

(8,954 posts)
8. Authoritarianism blurs ideological lines
Mon Jun 24, 2019, 10:30 AM
Jun 2019

Repressive is repressive regardless of its place on the spectrum. And Putin is especially well versed in this. He cut his teeth with the Soviet KGB, eventually rising to the top. He is no longer a communist per se, but ruthless repression in order to maintain power and wealth is still very much his trade. The right wing in this country is quite adept at making similar types of association for propaganda purposes whenever it suits their purpose. They are bona fide experts at tapping into emotion and instinct in place of reason and intellect, to the point where we do not have anything close to a level playing field when it comes to promoting values and advancing issues that matter to people. So I find it especially ironic that Trump and his ilk manage to get away with anti-socialist fear mongering (Medicare for all? Gasp!), all the while kowtowing to and praising brutal authoritarians around the globe (Murdering a journalist? No worries!).

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
4. Yeah, who cares how many votes we get from people who fled the specter of socialist dictatorships,
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:26 PM
Jun 2019

or their children? Who cares how many Florida voters are related to people still in Cuba?

We don't need any voters with family roots in Cuba, Venezuela, the Soviet Socialist Republic, or China. We'll just wrap our policies in a socialist flag and confuse everybody because socialism is such a fun word to taunt the R's with.

 

Dream Girl

(5,111 posts)
5. They are chomping at the bit to use the socialist label
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 12:29 PM
Jun 2019

That is going to be their strategy for 2020

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