What makes Obama a "Socialist"?

To me Obama is truly an egalitarian. This often fails socialist ideals: those depend upon defining the education system for one free of religious interference, evolves the market to a planned economy at a local or or at a national scale, enacts the understanding for incentive at self-interest and enlightened compromise.

Obama permits the commodity market to determine interest rates.

 

Egalitarianism is Socialism. Obama is pretty much a bit left of the center. The fact that Obama made over $5 million last year and did not give most of it to the "common good" shows his lack of true Egalitarian ideals.

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Three words: Bush's third term.

What most people are unaware of is that socialism isn't simply about striving for (faux-)egalitarianism through social-democratic reforms (minimum wage, unemployment benefits, etc.), but rather shifting ownership and control of the means of production to the workers - that is, workplaces being run by those who work in them, as opposed to a system whereby capitalist owners appropriate vast quantities of the wealth a business earns without having to actually do anything.

Most socialists view the state as being an apparatus of capitalism, not a means of overthrowing it. Many are even beginning to abandon the term "socialism" because of its contemporary ties to the fundamentally fascist - not socialist - ideas of "big government".

If you want an example of socialism in action, don't look at the Soviet Union or "Red China", read up on the Paris Commune, or Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War. Most importantly, read Marx and Engels. It's baffling how many people hold such strong convictions about socialism having never actually read the works of those who conceived it. I'd also recommend watching the latter half of the documentary "Zeitgeist: Addendum", as it very effectively links many of the world's most prevalent problems to profit and the monetary-based system we have now (in other words, capitalism).

 

What I read about Zeitgeist suggests that it is nothing more than a return of the Technocratic ideas of the 30s that were laughed out of existence. It might look good on paper, but would never work. All it would bring about is chaos.

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Since I know very little about politics to this degree everyone is talking about, continue please, i am learning a lot just by reading this, and I do appreciate hearing everyones ideas. A+ thread. and now carry on. ; )

 

I can see why somebody might get that sort of vibe from watching it, but I wouldn't really call them "technocrats" in the traditional sense of the word. They definitely envision/propose a very....technologically-progressive society, the feasibility of which is totally questionable (or at least worth doing further research on....something I haven't gotten around to yet, LOL). But the main reason for my recommendation of "Zeitgeist: Addendum" was the bit that comes just before that in the film, where they - successfully, in my opinion - identify not the Federal Reserve or dishonest politicians or "socialism", but the entire monetary system itself, as the source of many of society's most prevalent problems.

 

Socialist? or Marxist? I think he is on video claiming to have sought out Marxist professors. To try and convert them? or learn from them? And didn't he say you should look at those he surrounds himself with to see where he stands?

 

Look, yelling and screaming about Obama being a socialist is just a bunch of bullshit, plain and simple. why? Because I would like him a hell of a lot better if he was, simple as that. No one seems to understand what the words like Communist and Socialist mean anymore, because they've been warped into some sort of absurd insult that the US uses collectively at anyone that thinks differently. They are and have always been solid economic and political ideologies, but ever since the 50's the general public has refused to learn what it actually means and prefer to drop back to blind propaganda that remains largely unchanged since McCarthy. Obama is far from socialist, and as a proud Communist, I am offended that you think someone throwing money at heartless corporations and continuing the funding of unending and unjust wars could ever be connected with us in any way... (regardless of the few social strides that he has made in the right direction.)

 

Is someone yelling and screaming?
What might we call Obama? a Capitalist? Conservative? Moderate? Centrist?
Think about it, Comrade, how would you label him?

 

How cliché, straight out of a 1957 B movie.

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Thus proving HB's point.

 

I gotta say, a lot of people have a lot of wild ideas about what Socialism is. My suggestion is you find out what something IS before you criticize it.

I suppose you could take the Glenn Beck pejorative interpretation of socialism, which means, basically, everything the conservatives HATE, irrespective of its merits.

Socialism is supposed to be the belief that human beings NEED SOCIETY and that society NEEDS to take care of human beings. Socialism says society functions best when all of its members are treated similarly - not equally, which is just never possible. Its the sense to look more at the people side of things than the profit side. Who cares how much money it would cost to give all Americans health care? Isn't that in itself a good investment?

All this crap about Obama and government programs is just ranty noise.

 

The same suggestion would be wisely taken prior to promoting something.

Are you saying socialism is the antonym of conservatism?

As socialism is a belief would it be considered monotheistic or polytheistic?
Humans have basic needs regardless of society. While societies allow for a larger number of desirables to become available, and perhaps even viewed as needs, such things so not become rights simply because a majority wishes them to be.
I would hope that many people would care how much money it would cost to give all Americans health care. A good investment? Only if you look at it case by case, and the losses would greatly exceed the profits.

Best buy some ear plugs as I expect it to get louder as time goes on.

 

oh, the extreme right called eisenhower a socialist

it just means they have limited imaginations

 

The losses of war greatly exceed the profits. A good investment? Yes-for those that have always profited from them.

 

his love of big government and high taxes. but he also seems partial to corporate agendas and capitalist interests too. he's turning america that much closer into a police state also. internet kill switch is something that could be one step closer to 1984.

 

No - socialism is not an antonym of conservatism.

No - socialism is not a 'belief'.

Main Entry: so·cial·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: 1837
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

 

1984 has already come. "We've always been at war with Oceana." Capitalism is collapsing --eternal war seems likely.The 1973 bullshit gas madness proved just how easily it was to fool people. I don't think this country is ever going to be the same as it was in--say--the 9os when money and jobs were plentifull. Change is constant and unstoppable. Woe is us.

 

I would really like to hear your argument to support this statement.

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Probably because of his initiatives like the Interstate highway system. My parents used to take me out to see him drive by on his way to the Master's tournament. He's the first president I have memories of. That was back when most everyone stood behind their president, even if they didn't vote for him.

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