President Obama started taking real heat about his socialist
based ideals with the passing of “Obama Care,”
but he isn’t the only president in history to take a political hit with
conservatives over their pet social programs during an election year.
President Franklin
D. Roosevelt was also plagued by accusations of having socialist
values in the Presidential
Election of 1936 , because he was perceived as leaning towards
European style socialism do to his part in, and belief of, the need for Social Security;
socialist in nature by its very name. President Roosevelt also ironically inherited
the great depression, and also faced hard questions politically on how well things
were improving for the average American citizen.
We will see if on this upcoming Presidential Election day, Obama has as good of luck as
Roosevelt had when he was re-elected to a second term in 1936, both in public
support during tough financial times, and in our countries economic turnaround.
Merriam-Webster’s
Definition of Socialism: 1 - any of various economic and political theories advocating
collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production
and distribution of goods. 2 - A: a system of society or group
living in which there is no private property. B: a system or
condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled
by the state. 3: a stage of society in Marxist theory
transitional between capitalism and communism and
distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
My Definition
of a Socialist: A socialist is someone who holds the hopes, needs, and
dreams of the many as more important than the materialistic political schemes
of the greedy few. A socialist feels naturally
responsible for feeding, housing, educating, and medically treating all those in
their society who are in need of it; regardless of whether or not they can
afford it.
A socialist does these things because he values humanity,
community and social unity.
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ReplyDeleteBeing that President Obama is black, the socialist stigma is even greater. His attempt to "level the playing field" for Americans has been a focal point of his campaign and many conservatives have ridiculed his behavior as socialism - as if he is Robinhood trying to take from the rich and give to the poor. But that is not what the President is about; it is about this country's sustainability and long term growth which has always fed off a thriving middle class. For ex: during Obama's victory speech this past Tuesday, the ABC cameramen were constantly focusing in in on a minority waving a little flag after the President made a powerful statement concerning the country's direction - as if everyone and everything he is talking about only helps the welfare state. This couldn't be further from the truth. This has not only happened on ABC, nor during this very specific speech, and it subtly influences the viewers' perception of the President and his policies on a subconscious level. Let's be clear - President Obama's policies are not of a socialist but of a president who understands the current position that America is in - one that demands attention of the growing economic disparity concerning income inequality, which has grown to an all time high. His policies are aimed to help the middle class, not just the welfare state, because he understands that excessive income inequality:
ReplyDelete1) slows economic growth
2) causes revolts and revolutions
3) is an ethical matter for any president to call attention to
Because Obama had to create his own success unlike Romney and Bush, he is more level-headed in his vision when it comes to giving Americans a fair shot of achieving success. To many of the "haves" in this country, his economic policies are labeled as that of a socialist, and because he is a black president, that stigma exists even more.
Very well put, It is not often also that people have the guts to even state the obvious extra factors a black president has to face. I really do think that the republicans in the last election tried to trade the N-word for the S-word (socialist) as if they implied the same thing, stigma based completely on your skin color and who you represent to the right wing, and not on your performance or personal ideology.
ReplyDelete