Shades of Joseph McCarthy!Spencer Bachus, a Republican Representative in Congress from Alabama, has discovered there are at least 17 "socialists" in Congress. Actually, there are 17 "socialists" in the House of Representatives! God only knows how many are hiding in the Senate! Yup!
Now, I don't know how Bachus defines "socialist." But it's a convenient term to throw around and get the hoi polloi all roiled up. Bachmann, the dimwit from Minnesota has done it; Sarah Palin has done it; and it's getting to be quite common among the rabid rightwing TV and radio hate mongers.
According to a blog article in the Washington Post by Mary Ann Akers, when the Birmingham Post asked Bachus to name the 17 socialists in Congress, he could think of none in the House, and only one in the Senate, Bernie Sanders, who's an Independent from Vermont.
Akers notes that his naming of Sanders is of particular interest, because back in 2003 Bachus "co-sponsored a measure with then congressman Sanders and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), which Sanders called a 'tripartisan amendment.' It sought to prevent credit card companies from jacking up interest rates on cardholders who have bad credit reports because of late payments and loans and such."
All of which makes me wonder again if Bachus knows what a "socialist" is. Doesn't governmental interference with the right of credit card companies to do whatever the hell they want, constitute a socialistic slap at capitalistic greed?
Repugnicans don't seem to know whether they're coming or going. But, hey, if it will get them votes, they'll say anything, even if it's quite obvious they don't know what they're talking about!
Akers article is here.
2 comments:
Socialist is the word they cling to now because the word communist doesn't work as a scare tactic anymore.
Joseph McCarthy is a bigger black spot on my home state of Wisconsin than Ed Gein or Jeffery Dahlmer.
I can remember when we were warned of the imminent takeover by SOCIALISTS, COMMUNISTS, FASCISTS, LIBERALS, PROGRESSIVES ETC. It was way back around 1933. The same names have kept popping up ever since. In spite of the fears, we are still a democracy, we have survived and none of those groups have ever gained any kind of hold over our government. The terms seem to be ill defined and apply to anyone someone disagrees with. We have also not become a branch of the Vatican, a worldwide Jewish conspiracy, a Muslim nation, a godless nation, a black nation, etc. I think we have larger problems that are serious, like an economic meltdown, unemployment, health issues, unresolved wars, political polarization, graft, corruption, voter fraud, an uneducated electorate, propaganda instead of news, etc. We will survive it all, as we always have. I also remember Senator Joe McCarthy drunkenly waving around pieces of paper he claimed had the names of billions of “commies” determined to destroy us before the Senator did. It too has passed and we are still here. Some people want to live in fear, others do not. Let us concentrate on the real problems, the nuts and kooks will always be with us.
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