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Socialists in the news (in the U.S.)

daenku32

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I guess my title a bit tongue in cheek, because despite Republicans going around calling Biden a Marxist, I don't really see any socialists getting on the airwaves.

Best we get is some foreign news coverage about Bolivia or the usual countries, but that seems to be it.

If there are some actual socialists getting airtime in the U.S. I'd love to see it.
 
Socialism hasn't been a thing in the US since Big Bill Heywood made his run. Come to that, the best day the American Socialist Party ever had in America was a paltry thing; I leave it to the historians here to decide when that was.

And I leave it to -- who? to define socialism, whether in American or European or any other terms.

God how this shapeless debate tires me.
 
daenku32 said:
I guess my title a bit tongue in cheek, because despite Republicans going around calling Biden a Marxist, I don't really see any socialists getting on the airwaves.

Best we get is some foreign news coverage about Bolivia or the usual countries, but that seems to be it.

If there are some actual socialists getting airtime in the U.S. I'd love to see it.
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Who is claiming that these "socialists" are in the news and what economic policies are these "socialists" espousing? (Otherwise, why is this in the economics section)?
 
daenku32 said:
I guess my title a bit tongue in cheek, because despite Republicans going around calling Biden a Marxist, I don't really see any socialists getting on the airwaves.
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Well, if Denmark = Venezuela, socialists shouldn't be hard to find.

Best we get is some foreign news coverage about Bolivia or the usual countries, but that seems to be it.

If there are some actual socialists getting airtime in the U.S. I'd love to see it.
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It depends on your definition of socialism, but ... AOC? Bernie Sanders? Nina Turner?
And there's this African-American intellectual whose name I can't remember, but he appears at 0:20-0:22 in this clip. With a full beard. He is very good, and he does get airtime now and then in mainstream media. I always watch him whenever he appears in news shows. If he isn't a socialist, he should be! :)

 
RolandRat said:
Why is socialism such a dirty word in the US?
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Association with Pinko Commie Hippies throughout the Cold War. Certain types of politics require an enemy to function.

Also, most American voters couldn't define socialism if the alternative was being clubbed to death.
 
Norman Alexander said:
Anyone anywhere to the left of Genghis Khan is a socialist, according to the Republicans. That means pretty much everybody.
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Yes, just last week one of my relatives told me I was Socialist Marxist for not supporting Trump. I pointed out I was retired Veteran and former Republican now Independent who voted for Bush Sr, and most recently McCann and ardent capitalist....nope I was still a Socialist Marxist if I didn't vote for Trump!

Yeah
 
DSA types sometimes get coverage, but most of these people probably qualify as progressive liberals, in contrast to the more common conservative strain that make up the Democratic party, rather than true demsocs. AOC comes to mind.

While there are small pockets of true left political activity in this country, it rarely registers in mainstream media.
 
RolandRat said:
I'm happy to be schooled about this :) Social care systems such as universal health care, social security don't fall under a socialist umbrella?
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They would be more socialist-adjacent or socialist-associated rather than socialism in the strict sense. Universal health care can wander into socialism depending on the degree of control a country's government maintains over its healthcare industry.
 
RolandRat said:
It is yes, but it's still socialism though isn't it?
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Be careful not to confuse social programs with Socialism


The defining characteristic of Socialism is social ownership of the means of production. Eg the NHS in the UK is run directly by the government itself, so in that aspect at least, there is an element of Socialism, but one off example hardly makes the UK a Socialist country.

Conversely Canada's healthcare system uses private companies to actually deliver healthcare. While it's sill a government funded social service the means of production are not owned or run by government so are not necessarily Socialized.
 
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