Opinion: Stop Attacking Each Other As Fascists and Socialists (Part 1)

Are Democrats Socialists?

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The cynical use by partisans of explosive language that delivers the shock value craved by a drama-seeking media and that grabs the attention of voters is further fueling political polarization.

The inflammatory attacks by politicians and pundits against their opponents could fill a book, but this column and one that will follow will focus on the irresponsible and misleading use of “fascism” and “socialism.” This first column will address attacks against Democrats.

Let’s be clear from the beginning: The overwhelming number of Democrats are not socialists, and the overwhelming number of Republicans are not fascists or semi-fascists.

That’s not to say that those extremist philosophies are absent from our two major parties. Plenty of worrying signs exist. Some true fascists populate the right, and real socialists are present on the left, despite denials from both sides.

However, we have reached a point where partisans irresponsibly use those terms to accuse everyone they disagree with of anti-American positions those “opponents” don’t hold and aren’t advocating.

As someone who writes columns under the rubric of “A View from the Center,” I have repeatedly been targeted by accusations of being both a fascist and a socialist. Even though my columns are focused on highlighting how a majority of Americans agree on many more issues than they disagree on (and using polls on specific issues to prove it), the extremes insist on portraying the other side as evil. And they go even further, aiming their wrath at moderates, whom they infuriatingly accuse of being puppets of their enemies.

What is socialism?

Merriam Webster’s definition of socialism is standard: “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

Accusations of socialism must be understood in the context of that definition, because there are true believers in American politics. Socialism should not be used as all-purpose term to accuse those one disagrees with. The term has a specific meaning and should not be made irrelevant by overly facile name-calling.

Are Democrats socialists?

During the 2020 presidential campaign, then President Trump said Joe Biden “has handed control to the socialists and Marxists and left-wing extremists like his vice-presidential candidate.”

Trump is far from alone. Demonizing Democrats as socialists has become as common as it gets for Republican politicians. In attacking the "Build Back Better Bill," House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy called it a “socialist spending scam.” Sen. Marco Rubio described the scaled-back version of that bill by tweeting that “A $1.75 trillion #BuildBackSocialist plan is just as socialist as a $3.5 trillion one.” The 2020 Republican National Convention almost obsessively focused on calling Democrats socialists and even communists.

But is any of that true? Higher government spending and generous welfare programs are not socialism. If they were, Scandinavian countries would be socialist, and all their economies are rated as freer than the U.S.’s by the Heritage Foundation’s 2022 Index of Economic Freedom.

On the other hand, flirting with socialism is an issue for Democrats. According to a 2020 Gallup survey, 76% of Democrats would vote for a socialist candidate.

That has to be alarming to most Americans because they have a negative opinion of socialism. But that Gallup survey may overstate the problem. Many Democrats who seem open to socialism may be confused about the term’s definition. According to a Pew Research poll, many of those surveyed view the philosophy as something that could improve capitalism and foster more equality. They don’t understand that the essence of socialism calls for no private ownership of the means of production.

The Democratic Party’s platform does not call for anything remotely resembling that. At most, the platform calls for social democracy, with a capitalism-based mixed economy and an extensive welfare state.

However, it’s silly to claim, as some have in response to previous articles I've published, that there are only extremists on the right and that no extremists exist in the Democratic Party.

A series of influential Democrats are true socialists. While Sen. Bernie Sanders is technically an independent, he caucuses with Democrats and received the second-most votes for president at both the 2016 and 2020 Democratic National Conventions. He has always called himself a socialist and said that “Democracy means public ownership of the major means of production.” (He has softened that in recent years.)

Most members of the influential “Squad” (Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D.-N.Y.; Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D.-Mich.; Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D.-N.Y.; and Rep. Cori Bush, D.-Mo.) are reportedly members of the Democratic Socialists of America. The DSA, which has been growing in influence and membership, also backed 40 winning candidates at the state, county and municipal levels.

Before you think that the Squad and DSA stand for “socialism light,” you should read the party’s platform. It clearly matches up with the definition of real socialism, proposing a “social order based on popular control of resources and production.” It also calls for “state action to acquire private property and transform it into public democratically controlled housing.” Additionally, the DSA platform calls for a new constitution and abolishing the Senate.

To say that all of this would be highly unpopular with the American people is an understatement. A survey from the Montpelier Foundation found that 91% of Americans said that the Constitution is important to them personally and protects their rights within the U.S.

Additionally, a fair number of Democrats supported the "Defund the Police" movement and still do, despite its increasing unpopularity among most Americans.

It's also important to note that the progressive wing of the Democrats has increased its influence over the party. However, the party has not been fully coopted by its far-left wing, and those left wingers do not hold as much sway over the party as the MAGA right holds over the GOP (more on that in my next column).

Are there far-left radical groups in the U.S.?

I suspect many readers might think it's stupid to even ask that question because the answer is obvious. However, lots of people who have commented on Facebook posts related to my "A View from the Center" site have sustained that the radical left is irrelevant, even non-existent, and that the only extremist problem the U.S. faces comes from the reactionary right.

Tell that to the business owners and people who lived in parts of Minneapolis, Seattle, and Portland in 2020, or to anyone else affected by the violence that erupted that year.

Far-left radical groups continue to be active in the U.S., despite allegations to the contrary. The Counter Extremism Project has amply documented groups, including Antifa, that ascribe to far-left extremism.

Conclusion

Is it fair to accuse some Democrats of being socialists? Yes. Do far-left, dangerous extremists exist on the left? Yes. Do mainstream Democrats deserve to be called socialists? No.

Behavior and statements that are anti-American or even evil must be understood as such and condemned in any debate. But the condemnations cannot fall into the trap of becoming as inflammatory and irresponsible as the statements they are meant to criticize.

My second column looking at attacks calling Republicans "fascists," will be published by Tuesday, Oct. 18.

NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the second column will be published on Oct. 20.

Cover photo: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R.-Cal.) and fellow Republicans stay seated as Democrats, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, stand and applaud for U.S. President Joe Biden as he delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol's House Chamber on March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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