and there's the opponent's theme song....Communism/Socialism......it'll kill us. Gotta get on top of this

[a kennedy]

very, very soon.

[rampartd]

1. this is "they are eating the dogs" only "they " is us.

[Ocelot II]

2. No, it won't.

Nobody has talked about communism as a serious threat in decades. Not even MAGA believe it.

[durablend]

27. "NoBoDy WaNtS tO wOrK"

Yeah, they still believe "communism" is a "serious threat" so we'd better not be caught flatfooted as usual.

[AllaN01Bear]

3. i was called one of them things when i was in high school because i wanted to protect the environment.

[-misanthroptimist]

4. So dramatic!

Want to get on top of it? Fine. Allow me.

Here are the five happiest nations on Earth:
Finland 7.74 1st
Denmark 7.52 2nd
Iceland 7.52 3rd
Sweden 7.35 4th
Netherlands 7.31 5th

Here are the five most educated nations:
Canada 65%
Ireland 58%
Japan 57%
South Korea 56%
United Kingdom 54%

Criminal recidivism rates:
-- Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland) and some Western European countries (Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland) feature among the lowest reported recidivism rates in many comparative accounts, primarily because of rehabilitation-focused corrections, extensive community sanctions, and generous social supports.

Life expectancy:
The US is 54th. All of the Western European nations rate higher -except Poland.

So, what is it about socialism that Republicans are against? The wages? The life span of the citizens? The effective justice systems? The education? The happiness? Ask them this when they babble about socialism.

When they drool "communism" simply laugh in their faces and call them lying idiots.

Consider your concern gotten on top of...and have a good day. Oh, hell. Have a good life.

[Ocelot II]

8. The Scandinavian countries are not socialist. They are constitutional monarchies (except for Iceland)

with democratically-elected parliaments and regulated market economies. Describing those countries as socialist is highly inaccurate - their governments do not own or control the means of production or distribution. They are regulated capitalist systems with strong social safety nets. More here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/04/opinion/norway-nordic-social-democracy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vFA.Hu9s.YNtUo4nd7Y2y&smid=url-share

[-misanthroptimist]

10. Oh, bullshit. (See: No True Scotsman Fallacy)

What American "socialists" want is pretty close to what the Scandinavian nations have already. So, if we are "socialists", so are the Scandinavian countries.

If the Scandinavian countries are NOT socialist, then neither are we.

Pick one definition and stick with it.

[Ocelot II]

11. Read the article. *They* don't even think they're socialists.

[-misanthroptimist]

12. Great! Then Democratic Socialists aren't socialist

Also, self-defining...isn't always accurate. (See: Evangelical "Christians&quot

[Ocelot II]

13. The DSA probably are socialists. The Scandinavians aren't.

The DSA says: "Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit. We must replace it with democratic socialism, a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.

We believe there are many avenues that feed into the democratic road to socialism. Our vision pushes further than historic social democracy and leaves behind authoritarian visions of socialism in the dustbin of history." https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/

In other words, unlike the Scandinavians, they are anti-capitalists. They're socialists who aren't all authoritarian about it like in the old days. The Scandinavians, however, expressly disavow socialism:

When Americans discuss the Nordic system, they sometimes suffer from three misunderstandings.

The first is that these are socialist countries. While they are often run by social democrats, they have market economies. Sweden did experiment in the 1970s and ’80s with quasi-socialist policies, but the upshot was an economic crisis. As Johan Norberg, a Swedish writer, put it: “We have been socialists and we’ve been successful — but never at the same time.”

[-misanthroptimist]

14. "A real voice" is dramatically different from...

..."collectively owning the means of production."

Christ, do words mean anything objective anymore, or are the definitions emotion-based? I sincerely ask because if it's the latter, then discussion is pointless.

Speaking of points, this discussion appears to have missed my real point: That is, the type of "socialism" Americans want exists elsewhere in the world and produces happy, healthy, well-educated, well-paid people. So, when Republigoons trot out "SOCIALISMS!!!!" we should immediately ask which of those things Republigoons are against.

[betsuni]

16. No, the one where Danish PM explains they're "far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy."

http://www.vox.com/2015/10/31/9650030/denmark-prime-minister-bernie-sanders

None of those countries are socialist. The cultures are different, more of a sense of society, obligation to society's rules.

[-misanthroptimist]

17. Whoosh! There it went!

I honestly didn't think my point was moving that fast. Must have caught a tail wind.

[betsuni]

18. What is the point?

[-misanthroptimist]

19. See post #4 above

[betsuni]

20. "So what is it about socialism that Republicans are agains?" The countries listed are not socialist.

Just because Republicans call something socialist doesn't make it socialist.

The confusion started when democratic socialism was relabeled as the capitalist liberal Democratic policies of FDR and LBJ, that they were actually democratic socialists: "That was Roosevelt's vision seventy years ago. It is my vision today." Myth that the true roots of the Democratic Party are democratic socialist, therefore socialists are the only true Democrats (what "FDR Democrat" means).

The Democratic Party "establishment" could then be accused of being corrupt and immoral, "ignoring the working class," shifting to the right: "In the '70s, '60s, Democrats caught on they could raise a lot of money from wealthy people." They are demonized as the true roadblock to progress and the party must be taken over and transformed. "Progressive" meaning anti-establishment and "establishment" meaning not progressive.

People who believe this definition think Democratic issues like universal health care, higher wages, taxing the wealthy and corporations, environmental regulations, campaign finance reform, affordable housing, child care, social safety net, etc. are democratic socialist or progressive and Democrats are against them. despise and are terrified of them because The People agree with socialist/progressive policies and will vote Democrats out of power and they'll all have to go work at McDonald's and be poor and sad .

Redefined "democratic socialism" = capitalism
Original recipe democratic socialism = anti-capitalism

[snot]

34. There's absolutely no danger that the US is going to suddenly go completely socialist

in the 2 - 4 years after the next elections. Even if we actually succeeded in electing every one of the most socialist candidates on the ballot, we'd be lucky to get even an inch or two closer to fairness and affordability.

All we ask is for a little more socialistic approach to some of the basic necessities of life, such as health care.

We need more elected officials on the left who can help push the Overton Window in the right (i.e., left!) direction.

[struggle4progress]

5. We need to control our own message, not react to theirs

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. I'm not worried

After the midterms, if they investigate and expose the most corrupt administration in history, and stop it from causing any further pain to Americans, all this red baiting bullshit won’t matter one bit.

Then, Once Dems have the trifecta, if they kill the filibuster, expand the court, and govern like fearless Social Democrats, they will hold power for a generation or more (see FDR and the New Deal)

[tableturner]

7. Anybody who thinks we do not have to fight this is delusional!

Just like all the other times some of us have said, in effect, "I will not dignify that charge by denying it!", many of those times VERY damaging to our electoral chances, this is another example of a time when some of us want to lay back and get walked on by these fascists.

If we let them say it over and over and over without correcting the record, in the minds of too many, it will become fact, and it will cause significant harm to our prospects.

We have let them walk all over us repeatedly over the years...let's not let them do it again!

[newdeal2]

9. You don't ignore it but you don't have to explain it

There’s something to be learned from Trump and that’s to go on offense. Change the subject and focus on how bad the MAGA republicans are. Come up with a nasty name for them. If it doesn’t work, move on to the next thing.

[Mz Pip]

31. This is the 2026/28 talking point

I’ve seen it repeated over and over again all over social media. Democrats are communists. They will take away our freedoms.

Republicans are using the NYC Democratic primary winner Chevalier’s own words to paint us all with a broad brush. I don’t think ignoring or dismissing this is a wise strategy.

[pcdb]

33. A majority of the DSA leadership openly identify as Communists.

This just gives Republican's the argument they're looking for. The DSA is using our party to gain political power and I'm not sure Democrats know how to react to it.

[Mz Pip]

36. James Carville spoke out against them

and was criticized for it. I don’t think we’re doing ourselves any favors by defending people who have hijacked our party.

I get that people are pissed, but be careful what you wish for.

[fujiyamasan]

15. I agree that if the party isn't on top of this

Democrats will be lucky to even take the house, let alone the senate, which is already a stretch.

[Vinca]

21. On the plus side, they seem to be giving up on trans hate for this election cycle.

Re their new hate. We need to compare Trump to Russian rulers who built grand ballrooms, commissioned Faberge eggs and, more recently, funded the oligarch class. Trump wants to be Tsar, not president.

[BannonsLiver]

26. Don't bet on that.

[malaise]

22. Watch Clinton

Be afraid

[Blue Full Moon]

23. Decades late for that.

They have been calling democrats that since the McCarthy Un-American BS. They literally brought Nazis over here to help. Talk about Un-American. When I got my security clearance I had the defend not being a communist because I am a democrat. Republicans and Trump are actually in bed with Russia. Quit falling for the trap.

[Blue Full Moon]

24. Trump talking with actual commie.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143690037

[BannonsLiver]

25. I must have missed the genesis of this but we got DUers who are BIG SKEERED of Donnie's words again.

Fainting couches and pearls in short supply, apparently.

[-misanthroptimist]

29. Depressing, isn't it?

"Oh, no! [Redacted] called us a name!! We're dooomed!!!1!!!!!!"

I mean, here's another way to address this bullshit. "Yeah, [redacted] and you're a nazi. The commies were our allies in WWII. The commies are pretty much gone. The nazis were the enemy -and still are."

Addressing this unwarranted fear is easy in multiple ways.

[BannonsLiver]

30. It is in the sense that we're 11 years into maga and we have people who are still soft.

Soft equates to unreliable in my book.

[-misanthroptimist]

32. Sure, they're soft. They have to be.

After all, they could get called a name at any moment. How is a person supposed to function in such an environment? (In case that wasn't obvious)

[Thomas Hurt]

28. The right has been calling Dems socialist/communists since FDR...

[duckworth969]

35. Blah, quit taking the bait and inflaming the rank and file

It’ll be fine if we don’t fight ourselves.

Many young folk in DSA don’t know (or care) about the Red Scares throughout the 20th century.

I’ve seen my local DSA in action in our community. They’re doing fine work.

It’s a dead horse, stop whipping it. Keeping the issue alive serves magat interests.

Try to remember they’re the Bad Guys.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

37. There is a pattern