Things Republicans Believe

What uprising? Bring it on conservatives!

I still find it hard to believe that "Socialism" is such a dirty word in America. It's fairly outmoded, here in the UK, where Tony Blair has moved the Labour party away from the left wing, to more central turf, but highly successful countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, are fairly socialist in their organisation of health/education/social support services.

KP

I think Americans mentally and emotionally associate "socialism" with Marxist doctrine and the policies of the now defunk U.S.S.R. At the same time, I think many if not most Democrats who fully understand why they are Democrats are basically socialists at heart. They just don't call it that because of the negative connotations associated with it. Those people really do believe government should be in control of most or all societal policies and that government is the best vehicle to address the problems and needs of the country.

The word is defunct . . . although it induces a charming hilarity to think of the former Soviet Union tumbled by the removal of all the "funk" there. Personally, in the same terms you have used, i believe the tax-anyone-but-the-rich and spend conservatives believe " . . . that government is the best vehicle to address the problems and needs of the country."

I'll concede that in recent years, maybe since the Reagan years, there are fewer and fewer differences between the two primary polical parties in the USA. The Dems drift right to appeal to the conservatives in their base. The GOP drifts left to appeal to the liberals in their base. In the end, however, there will still be more liberals and more socialist-minded people found in the Democrat Party than in the GOP and there will be more conservatives and hard-line right wingers in the GOP than will be found in the Democrat Party.

I can't imagine a socialist who understands what that is and means ever affiliating with the GOP. And I can't imagine a true consevative who understands what that is and means ever affiliating with the Democrats.

As for who is the more fair and/or socialist in their views and votes on taxes, that would make an interesting thread.

All of your remarks so far assume that socialist and Democrat are synonymous terms--something which you have not established. This final remark inferentially suggests that one can either be fair, or be socialist--ipso facto, you are saying that socialists are not fair-minded people.

Your bigotry is showing . . .

So nice of you to say so Setanta. Maybe I am a bigot on this issue. It probably is an outgrowth of my bigoted opinion that liberals often cannot offer their own evidence to support their point of view or opinion and therefore make the messenger the focus of attack rather than the message.

When the message is that one either agrees with you or they are not fair-minded, you should expect no less. You've made your bed, and now complain that you are obliged to lie in it.

You trying to pick a fight Setanta?

Set & Foxfyre, that's very warm-hearted banter and cross-fire, by the standards of some political threads!

I'm sure you've probaly seen it before, but plotting personal/political beliefs against two axis, not one, shows some interesting results.

One axis indicates the classic left/right economic differences - which largely break down to whether capitalism (individual ownership) and free markets (right) or socialism (collective ownership) and distribution subject to governmental/regulatory control.

On the other is the authoritarian/libertarian divide: the one which gets so confusing when "liberal" is used to mean "socialist". On this axis, the extremes of regimented, controlled living (athoritarian) and anarchy (libertarian) are plotted.

Many free-marketeers will opt for a capitalist-libertarian mix. The old USSR was socialist-authoritarian.

The Bush administration has shown itself to be capitalist-authoritarian but, like everything in real life, there are elements to which this is "bigger" government than many traditional capitalists would approve of.

I'll try to find the link

KP

Good observations KP. The problem we all have in being objective re political ideology is the propensity to tar everybody with the same brush and the tendency to demonize the opposition rather than defend your side.

I'll add to that the problem of those who mentally filter out adjectives and adverbs that would in any way moderate a statement of opinion and/or fact.