- But what does SOCIALISM mean to you!?!
My Venezuelan friend is upset with me. I have pointed out the flaws in his meme concerning Venezuela's sad state of affairs and its direct connection with SOCIALISM! It is one of those memes most likely created by Putin's trolls and heavily used by Sean Hannity at Fox News.
All good stories need a villain who can be hated and mocked without any moral repercussions. Indiana Jones had the Nazis, Frodo had the Orcs, and skydivers have the belly fliers. To remain sane, we need to simplify complicated issues and create boogie-men to be able to believe in our own myths.
To win any debate in the United States, all you need to do is connect your opponent to Socialism, if you succeed, no other arguments are required. This is why Trump openly defends and speaks for "crazy-Bernie" and saves the dirty tricks for Biden. Trump knows that no political micro incentives are needed in a standoff against Bernie. If Bernie is his opponent in the presidential elections, Trump will win with a landslide.
Bernie is an outlier in American politics. He is an activist who has fought for equal rights and for the outcasts since the 60s. During his three decades in Washington, his message has been as consistent as Trump's lies. Most politicians change their views based on polls and opinion research, not Bernie. He has stayed true to his values unmoved by the surrounding chatter. Perhaps not 100% but easily exceeding a level that can be considered Washingtonian. On several topics, others have later joined him: the Iraq war, gun laws, civil rights movements, the list goes on.
He has apologized to the women who were sexually harassed during his Campaign in 2016. Not by him, but he felt he failed to protect them, so he apologized. As far as I know, no serious allegations have been made concerning his behavior. The worst accusation, to my knowledge, is when Elisabeth Warren claimed that Bernie had suggested that America is not ready to elect a female president. A horrible accusation for sure, but Bernie is, after all, a man, so we cannot expect him to be perfect. Nevertheless, I would argue that he can be considered to be a decent person.
He has created a political revolution with hordes of young people who openly Feel the Bern. Black leaders praise him, and even his political opponents respect him and say they were with Bernie before it was cool! But Bernie is like one of those uncles we say we love, but when push comes to shove, we feed them to the lions. Most of the Democratic candidates who gave up their presidential campaigns quickly gave their support to Biden. Electability was the word of the day.
If against all the odds, Bernie would become the Democratic nominee he would crash and burn due to his one unforgivable sin: he is a SOCIALIST! The key to success in U.S. politics is to have lots of money and be the smallest possible target for smearing. Trump's success is based on having the one, and being able to break the law of gravity on the other.
Hussein Obama knew this and sheepishly tried to hide his socialist tendencies, Sanders feels no shame and proudly stands at the barricades with the Red Banner decorated with a Hammer and Sickle. Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot must be smiling from their Atheist heaven at their 78-year-old Padawan.
While Reagan protected the free world by supporting the Contras in Nicaragua, Sanders openly supported the Sandanistas, a leftist terrorist organization. Sanders keeps praising the Nordic countries and their perfect SOCIALIST society. Fortunately, these lies have been debunked several times by Fox News. Did you know that everyone in Denmark works for the government, but at the same time, no one actually wants to work unless it is in the cupcake business?
Bernie chose to visit the Soviet Union on his honeymoon. Clearly, a sign that a Stalinistic Gulag is his ultimate goal for the United States. He has also praised Cuba and its healthcare system, ignoring its human rights record. Another piece of evidence that murdering your people is not a problem for the radical left.
Some of you might disagree with my description of the Stalin wannabe. Some might point out that under the term Socialism, there is an endless spiderweb of variations many already implemented into the American society masqueraded under pseudonyms like Medicare and Medicaid. You are correct, but being correct makes no difference.
The American hatred towards Socialism can be equated to the hostility towards Hillary Clinton. Bernie will be an easy target for Trump's attacks. It would be naive to think that the Trump train would stop to contemplate the nuances of Socialism. They have made up their mind and will not be bothered by facts. I'm guessing many of them have posted that same meme my Venezuelan friend shared. They will proudly stand at the wall protecting their country from SOCIALISM and, at the same time, demanding that the government should keep their hands of their medicare.
The increased polarization of the U.S. has split the populists in the traditional political horseshoe model between Trump and Sanders. The big difference between these two is that Trump can sell a utopia without making resolutions to create one. Bernie, on the other hand, will stick to his guns and make no compromises; this freaks out the moderate center. Business is good with the President, with Sanders, it might not be.
Sanders wants to ban fracking in a swing state of Pennsylvania and dissolve private insurance companies. He would ban the export of crude oil. Those few moderates who support Sanders have suggested that he should be taken seriously but not literally. Sounds familiar?
Just before the Nevada primaries, Bernie tweeted:
"I've got news for the Republican establishment. I've got news for the Democratic establishment. They can't stop us."
Yes, Bernie, they can and they will.
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