I just saw on last night.

Embrace "socialism", which we define, or embrace...them. Folks will get it.

Repug funding cuts on education have stopped millions of voters from understanding that socialism isn't the democratic socialism of the nordic countries rather than the textbook definition that most equate it with—the means of production and distribution owned by the people.

In other words, welfarism, which is how the repugs are depicting it. Hard to overcome decades of such indoctrination in a short time. And many of the deplorables don't know the difference between fascism and socialism—remember the Palin crowds calling Obama a fascist socialist?

Most see us as a capitalist country, despite the fact that some of us know that there are many socialist aspects to our capitalism.

It's only 52 days to the election. We are ahead. No need to endanger that when we are so close by embracing a narrative that millions of voters still see as an anti-capitalist bogeyman.

Much more education needed to be done on that for us to risk that embrace with our democracy teetering in the balance against fascists just two months away in the election that will either doom or save it.

Medicare and social security and roads, etc....are socialism...not hard to counter the propaganda, versus the alternative of Shitler and company...the two memes go together.

you're fascists."

Get it straight. That's hardly crickets.

We've tried running away from the bully fascists. It might be time to stand up.

with the tax revenue being used to pay for a generous safety net.

Tell me one instance in history where actual socialism (means of production and distribution in the hands of the public) has succeeded and endured?

Communism in the Soviet Union? In China, in Cuba, in Venezuela? No.

Let's be clear, there is no such place.

The Nordic model, a mixture of capitalism with socialism is not socialism so pump the brakes already and call it what it is.

It is certainly not the textbook socialism you are advocating that we embrace 52 days before an election that will decide if we stay a democracy and not a fascist state.

Pump the brakes.

Point out how many things are socialism. Tax revenue sharing is socialist, if not Missisippi, Alabama , Arkansas and other red states would be fucked. Roads and highways is socialism, else we would be paying a toll every 200 yards. Police protection is socialism, else we would have to pay for armed guards and hope they don't kill us and take everything, firefighting is socialism, else when your house caught fire, you would need to round up helpers to put out the fire and well as find the equipment to do it with. Hospitals are socialism, else when you get into a serious accident, you would be on your own and likely die. Schools are socialism, else we would be exposed to raths and raths of uneducated angry savages. The charge of socialism is bullshit.

Last edited Mon Sep 17, 2018, 09:26 AM - Edit history (1)

and can actually implement policies that help the commonweal.

We're 52 days from the election. Let's not give the repugs any ammo for them to throw up ads calling us socialists and reds and communists.

is happening each day and society will not work without it. That isn't promising pie in the sky new things, it is pointing out how society ALREADY works.

politics and political systems know that—the average voter we need to persuade to vote Democratic?

And seriously, with 51 days to the election and us favored to at least win the House, why throw an issue like: "Are Democrats socialists? into the campaign when many less sophisticated voters still view socialism as having negative connotations?

We don't need that baggage now. We need to be clear headed and not screw this up because if we don't at least get the House, trump will continue his reign of chaos and deference to Putin which frankly, is endangering our democracy. Let's save our country.

There will plenty of time to extol the virtues of the socialistic aspects of our society after the election when we've wrestled some political power back from the traitorous repugs.

Our side is horrible about selling an idea, even one that is in our faces daily.

I'm a progressive capitalist.

model which is not textbook socialism either (means of production and distribution owed by the public), but highly taxed capitalism with tax revenues used to provide a very generous social safety net.

I would think your progressive capitalism would be similar to that?

yet Dem leadership won't open their mouths and shout about it.

They're fucking pussies and I'm tired of it.

Turn to the right, aim, fire.

You have to realize a big part of why those controlling the Republicans loathe the Democratic Party is that, as Brush said, we have long believed in -- and implemented -- socialized answers for targeted problems, like the VA and to a far lesser degree Medicare and the ACA. Democrats created all 3, after all. That we haven't accomplished more does not mean we're against socialized solutions.

These socialized programs, btw, are far more widespread than you apparently realize, and they were all the result of liberals and moderate conservatives, most Democrats, deciding on the best means for dealing with real-world situations.

How about your own energy? Many energy companies have completely socialized systems. Is one of those yours? Mine here in Georgia is.

The nation is moving toward solar power, and it should all be socialized. The only way that will happen on a large scale, though, is if Democrats get power. In some areas, conservative governments have actually seized property rights so that the energy companies own all power the owner might produce on his own property, even making it illegal for residents to put solar cells on a greenhouse or shed without getting the energy company's permission.

You may also have noticed that the Republicans are trying to get net neutrality declared unconstitutional -- something Kavanaugh is expected to help with. That's because Democrats are trying to socialize the internet, and so Republicans have to destroy any possibility that we might succeed.

Some Republican state governments have made it illegal for communities to provide cell phone service as a utility. Democratic controlled legislatures are going the other way.

You speak of being on the right side of history, but I hope you are coming to understand what side that is. Blue states have many socialized public programs that red states and the federal government do not because Republicans blocked them.

People who want those and other socialized systems need to be on the only side that can make it happen for them -- the Democrats -- and not shooting at Democrats because someone has tricked them into it. Because only one side or the other is going to succeed, Democrats or Republicans. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

And after that we will either have things like universal healthcare and the universal basic income Hillary is for but didn't think she had the numbers to run on in 2016, or, if Republicans get control of the Supreme Court, it's likely we will lose all existing socialized and other progressive programs for at least a generation after they're declared unconstitutional. That is their plan.

All you see are Repubs all Sunday morning, spouting their lies and bullshit, and where are the Dem leadership on Sunday morning, to counter that bullshit? We're nowhere to be found.

scheduling as many Democrats as Republicans and others?

There are basically 7 major media conglomerations that are all owned by giant corporations, and I suspect the big, overriding answer lies in that. We do know that all 3 cable networks, not just Fox, consistently biased daytime coverage against Democrats. Both the AP and NYT were caught out in blatant journalistic crimes against Democrats, as well as providing consistently biased coverage in general. This has all been studied, it's not just my notion. Studies with facts and figures available on searching.

I'm terribly afraid of what will happen if we don't get control of congress on November 6, but I am at least downright proud of being an enemy right back to the fine selection of enemies ranged against us. Those who've gotten power on the right really do intend great harm over time to large numbers of formerly prosperous people they've been working on effectively discarding.

Those declining wages for half of Americans? Global wealth quadrupled over the last 35 years due to advances in production. A majority of it was accumulated right here by new ultrawealthy classes. At the same time, they used the enormous power that gave them to, cut our cash wages, just take away (poof!) the benefits we earned in the form of deferred wages, put us on partial work weeks to avoid labor laws, and start replacing employees with robots.

There are 330,000,000 of us. We'll stop them, resume the redistribution of income Obama was able to begin in spite of everything,and as citizens of an enormously prosperous nation we will establish things like a universal basic income, universal healthcare, and affordable college and training for the new jobs technology has created.

But how bad will it get before we do, and how long until we do? Resolving huge power conflicts like this can take history a long time line, or very little. Imagine it depends on when our anger becomes stronger than their ability to keep us divided, and/or how long it takes us to recover from some dreadful mistake that sinks us.

You do realize that to be on the Sunday shows, you have to be invited onto the Sunday shows yes? If you don't get asked or accepted then you don't have a platform.

Here are two different metrics showing the rightward lean of appearances on the talk shows. The first shows that while Democrats had full control of the Congress and Administration, all shows except Meet the Press had more Republicans on and Meet the Press itself still had more centrist Democratic politicians on than left leaning.

https://fair.org/extra/right-wing-tilt-on-sunday-morning/

This second one is from On the Issues and shows the number of appearances by 2016 Presidential hopefuls on media. Bernie Sanders, we can agree is left leaning was the most prolific from the left with 35 appearances. However, look at the list of Republican or right leaning politicians at least 3 of them have double the appearances.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2016_Hopefuls.htm

How, other than bashing Democratic politicians for not being on media, do you propose to resolve this issue. Should we force these privately owned, independent media organizations to have more Democrats on? How can we accomplish that?

As a politician he would have to not only be out in the media being a belligerent, he would have to legislate and show a sense of cooperation when it came to serious issues.

When we think of Democratic Politicians who were firebrands, who got camera time you think of Alan Grayson and Anthony Weiner for whom things did not end particularly well.

The most difficult thing to understand on our side is that while the news rooms tend to be by nature, liberal (because they are always in search of facts and new information) the owners of the media companies are decidedly conservative and have an investment in promoting the side of the argument that promotes the agenda of low taxes and deregulation.

The left at least has a tiny modicum of skepticism, sadly is it enough? It’s the dichotomatic institution(s) of media, government vs capatilsm aka profits. I mean I forget which CEO said it, think CBS but said something to the effect, trump isn’t necessarily good for America but is good for ratings. I couldn’t agree with you more, I think in order for it to change, rulings like Citizen United have to be abolished, otherwise we just quagmire in propaganda.

Eom.

Of the ones who do. Al Franken, for instance. We knew he was framed.

And the Press ignores Maxine Waters, for the most part, and less the GOP assholes are picking on her. I love her speeches.

Where are the Dems?!!!

“Now they’re coming at him with this accusation from someone anonymous who said that he was at a party … but sexual assault in high school from an anonymous source, I think it makes us look bad,” he said on Friday's “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

eom

they in a way practice socialism only for themselves they steal from us to give to their billion dollar friends, that's socialism backwards!!!