As regular readers will know, I am a solid supporters of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, but that does not mean I don't like Bernie Sanders. I like him a lot. I think he's one of the two best senators this nation has in Washington (the other being Elizabeth Warren) -- and if some miracle occurs and he wins the Democratic nomination, I will happily support and vote for him.
But Bernie has a problem amongst the electorate. He has unashamedly called himself a socialist throughout his political career. That doesn't bother me, because I also refer to myself as a socialist. But it does seem to bother most voters in this country. Polls have shown that less than half of all Americans say they would vote for a socialist. In fact, more say they would vote for a muslim or an atheist than would vote for a socialist.
Those who understand socialism know this is silly, but it is still a fact. Why? Because the right-wing in this country has spent several decades demonizing socialism -- and their effort has been very successful. They have convinced most people that socialism is a synonym for both communism and tyranny (neither of which is even remotely true).
The truth is that most Americans are socialists themselves. They just don't know it, because they've never been taught about socialism, or its true values. Don't believe me? Consider the following programs -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, free public education, gov. help to attend college (Pell Grants), Food Stamps, and housing assistance for the poor. Do you support any or all of those programs? Most Americans support them all -- and guess what, they are all socialist programs (among many others). That means, whether they know it or will admit it, most Americans are at least somewhat socialist!
Here is part of an article by cartoonist and editorialist Ted Rall on this topic. It's well worth reading.
When it comes to politics, Americans are idiots. Because American voters are political ignoramuses. . . . When Bernie Sanders calls himself a socialist, he’s drawing upon a tradition of Western European electoral politics in which socialist principles live alongside free-market capitalist ones, rather than a fully fleshed-out transformation of the economy into one in which the workers control the means of production. For Sanders and the hundreds of millions of citizens of the nations of Europe and their post-colonial progeny (Canada, Australia, many African countries), democratic socialism is a system that looks a lot like the United States of America. In the ur-democratic socialist nations of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, citizens’ elected representatives propose and vote on laws — just like here. There is no state economy. There are, like here, small private businesses and giant corporations. So what makes them socialist? Government regulations and the social safety net. Government agencies tell power companies, for example, how much they may pollute the air and sets the minimum wage. There is, as in all capitalist societies, poverty. But the government mitigates its effects. Welfare and unemployment benefits, social security for retirees, free or subsidized healthcare make things easier when times are tough. The United States is a democratic socialist country, albeit a lame one. Senator Sanders wants less lameness. In his speech, The New York Times summarized, “he said he wanted an America where people could work 40 hours a week and not live in poverty, and that such a society would require new government entitlements like free public colleges, Medicare-for-all health insurance, a $15 minimum wage, $1 trillion in public works projects to create jobs, and mandatory [paid] parental leave.” These benefits are standard in almost every other technologically advanced nation on earth, as well as many developing countries. Democratic socialism? It’s like that old dishwashing liquid ad: you’re soaking in it. Yet here is Sanders, in what pundits are calling a do-or-die speech attempting to fix his “I like him but America won’t elect a socialist” crisis. David Axelrod, who worked on Obama’s 2008 campaign, says, “The issue here is, is that word [socialism] a barrier for a sufficient number of voters that it creates an electoral ceiling for him?” As far as I know, Bernie hasn’t emphasized the quality of public education in his campaign. But something is, no pun intended, radically wrong when so few Americans understand basic political and economic terms — especially when they apply to the political and economic system under which they themselves live. By global standards, Sanders’ campaign is calling for weak socialist tea. In most European countries, all colleges are free or charge nominal fees. Socialized medicine, in which your doctor is a government employee and there’s no such thing as a big for-profit hospital corporation, is the international norm. Paid leave? Obviously. And most governments recognize the importance of public infrastructure, and not relying on the private sector to provide every job. There can only be one reason Americans don’t know this stuff: they’re idiots. Their schools made them that way as kids. Media propaganda keeps them stupid as adults.