In addition to the charges that Obama's Muslim, Arab, a terrorist (or friends thereof), and so on is this new one: he's a socialist. What the hell? I spend too much times watching videos of rabid McCain crowds (see here, here, and here for examples), but it has some benefits. I can trace the waves of talking points as they sweep through the right wing echo chamber. (In one of those videos, a woman screamed at the camera about the enormous crimes Obama committed through his dealings with ACORN. Asked when she first heard about ACORN, she said, "today." Wind 'em up and watch 'em go...)
Socialism is the new meme. When I do a search on it, I find the usual far-right sites you'd expect--Free Republic, AIM, etc. I have a hard time believing that every person at a McCain rally spends time at the internet's fringe, though. I have no doubt that almost no one screaming at these rallies knows what socialism is. It's a word with vague connotations; if you think liberal means "evil," then socialist must be akin to "devil worship." And somehow, the talking point is out. Add "socialist" to the anti-Obama spin. Check.
Is there something in the left-behind books that warns of the rise of socialism that could account for this? Anyone know how this bogeyman, a particularly spectral and unimaginable bogeyman, could have so panicked the already-hysterically panicked right?
3 comments:
I'll bet none of them turn down unemployment benefits when they get laid off, plan to refuse their social security payments when they retire, or refuse to allow medicare to pay the hospital bills of their aged relatives. They don't seem to be making the connection.
the socialist meme has been around for a while man. right-wing radio fascists like Savage Weiner have been calling Obama a socialist since day one.
don't you know? the socialists want to come and take away all your property and make your children worship Satan.
actually, there's been a big movement in Fundamenalist Christianity to tie socialism (or anything "free" given by society) to the devil and overly greedy, do-it-yourself capitalism to God's good works.
simply put: if you're poor, it's because God hates you...if you're rich, it's because God loves you.
may be that they are missing the point.
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist." - Hélder Câmara
If you want to understand the socialists, go to a socialist.
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