Socialists: Obama no socialist

pmrlcomm · 10-22-2008, 10:11 AM

Socialists say Barack Obama is not -- chicagotribune.com

Thought this was an interesting article.

Hindoo · 10-22-2008, 10:36 AM

I'd like to see driver's take on this article.

madville · 10-22-2008, 10:45 AM

Quote:

"Obama's going to be a person who represents all of us, he's going to be representing the interest of the capitalists as well as the working people. He's not really talking about transforming society beyond capitalism."

I've seen more of BO plans for wealth distribution as opposed to wealth creation. I'm not opposed to being more enlightened. Can some share with us his plans for wealth creation?

Hunt · 10-22-2008, 10:50 AM

Quote:

I've seen more of BO plans for wealth distribution as opposed to wealth creation. I'm not opposed to being more enlightened. Can some share with us his plans for wealth creation?

Here ya go:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Economy

There's more there if your really interested.

corranged · 10-22-2008, 10:52 AM

I don't find it very surprising. The little socialists or communists wandering around my campus are far different and more extreme than Obama.

From the article:

Quote:

So, how do you know if you're a socailist?

Generally, it involves espousing government control over a country's basic industries, like transportation, communication and energy, while also allowing some government regulation of private industries.

"Obama is about as far from being a socialist as Joe The Plumber is from being a rocket scientist," said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. "I think it's hard for McCain to call Obama a socialist when George Bush is nationalizing banks."

And this from Bruce Carruthers, a sociology professor at Northwestern University: "Obama is like a center-liberal Democrat, and he is certainly not looking to overthrow capitalism. My goodness, he wouldn't have the support of someone like The Wizard of Omaha, Warren Buffet, if he truly was going to overthrow capitalism."

Hunt · 10-22-2008, 10:54 AM

Obama is a socialist like McCain is a libertarian. Closer on the spectrum, but nowhere near.

madville · 10-22-2008, 10:55 AM

Is the creation of new jobs a result of cuts in one area of federal spending and a reallocation of those funds to the new programs or increasing taxes from the private sector and distributing the funds to programs they deem appropriate? In the small business incubator, $250 million nationally seemed to be a small number for real impact, IMO.

mini · 10-22-2008, 01:40 PM

Looking back over the past 20 years, and it is the radical middle that has been extremist.

Northstarmom · 10-22-2008, 04:09 PM

From the article:
""Obama is about as far from being a socialist as Joe The Plumber is from being a rocket scientist," said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. "I think it's hard for McCain to call Obama a socialist when George Bush is nationalizing banks."

And this from Bruce Carruthers, a sociology professor at Northwestern University: "Obama is like a center-liberal Democrat, and he is certainly not looking to overthrow capitalism. My goodness, he wouldn't have the support of someone like The Wizard of Omaha, Warren Buffet, if he truly was going to overthrow capitalism."

Bottom line: pure capitalism and socialism can be a difficult mix."

mini · 10-22-2008, 04:21 PM

Capitalism and democracy are antithetical, and always have been. Capitalism's major political principle is "one dollar one vote". This is precisely why early capitalism evolved into corporate socialism. Capitalism by itself could not control people's democratic instincts. So there needed to be a way to control and manipulate governmental processes through cooperation, rather than competition, within the capitalist class.

Works, too, until it hits a big bump in the road. Historically, we know what follows corporate socialism.