Why Is He Using the Communist Trump Card? Robert Reich

[justaprogressive]

Friends,

Trump has run out of cards to play in the midterm elections, which is why he’s now talking about the “communist menace.”

He can’t talk about the economy, because prices continue to rise faster than wages, which means most Americans are getting poorer. He can’t talk about foreign policy, because his war in Iran has been a debacle, his tariffs are an utter failure, and he obviously hasn’t settled the war in Ukraine on “Day 1.” He can’t talk about immigration, because his raids and mass deportations have become so unpopular.

So, facing the midterm elections, what’s left?

He’s resorting to the oldest of right-wing tropes — accusing Democrats (especially a rising generation of new, young, vigorous Democratic politicians) of being commies.

He kicked off America’s 250th anniversary celebrations on Friday with a speech at Mount Rushmore extolling American culture and warning of a resurgence of the “communist menace.” With the granite faces of four of his predecessors behind him, Trump took aim at what he called “radicals” and “extremists.”

“There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success. You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.”

Oh, please.

For years, Trump has been trying to scare Americans about progressive Dems who advocate Medicare for All, universal childcare, free public higher education, and higher taxes on the super-wealthy to pay for them (all of which the rising young Democrats are advocating).

But he hasn’t gotten anywhere because these initiatives are supported by most Americans.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-communist-trump-card]

[usonian]

1. FIGHTING COMMIES, ONE HUG AT A TIME!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221350774



"Caption it yourself" ... template at the OP linked above.

It's just a dogwhistl8, like so many others.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21351285

Donnie misuses "communism" SO CAN WE. TURN THE TABLES.

It's a dogwhistle!

Welfare mothers
Soft on crime
War on drugs
"Big government" (what?)
"Dem pedophile ring"

Shove that *** damn dogwhistle down his/their ******* throats.

About the fact that these are NOT communists:
Magats don't know Lenin from linen.
Perfection is the ENEMY of damn near everything good (Brain surgery and other critical things excluded)

This is WAR on democracy, NOT BRAIN SURGERY.

They ain't got no brains nohow.

And besides ..... Joe McCarthy asks:
"Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the communist party?"



I rest my case.

[TVguyCards]

5. Putin is NOT a Communist

He's an authoritarian strong man who leads a Capitalist state.
He doesn't follow Marxist-Leninist ideology and his alliance is with oligarchs, state-controlled Capitalism, and Conservative Nationalists.

Here's a good article from History On The Net titled "Is Russia Communist Today?"

[usonian]

8. Let's ask Joe McCarthy

"Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the communist party?"



Call me when he flips Lenin the bird.

[Justice matters.]

16. One rape of a teenage girl at a time.

In his American gangster's case.

[Vogon_Glory]

3. What worries me is how well that ploy might work

A quarter-century ago calling your political opponents Communists was a losing ploy except in red-dirt parts of the Heart of Dixie and the deepest back-woods of Appalachia, the Ozarks, and maybe Idaho.

Since then a lot of working-class whites have allowed themselves to become so dumbed-down that they’d actually believe it, never mind that the Soviet Union dissolved, the Warsaw Pact is. Kaput, Cuba was economically moribund even before the latest round of trade restrictions and the People’s Republic of China, while formidable, stopped waving their copies of Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book decades ago.

[Kid Berwyn]

10. Works on DU, evidently.

Like at their country club, repuglians only do “Divide and Conquer”

[MineralMan]

4. It's Sheer Desperation at This Point

He's trying to recall the 50s and 60s and regenerate the "Red Scare."

[yardwork]

6. Our worst response would be to moderate our goals.

We need to lean in, not scurry in fear.

[durablend]

7. Another LTTE today

"On the Democrats’ dangerous embrace of democratic socialists [letter]"

Seems to be one of these every few days so they're definitely pushing it.

[Nanjeanne]

9. He's using it because democratic socialism or social democracy doesn't scare people who want

public education, universal healthcare, childcare, sick days, maternity and paternity leave, an electrical grid that works, broadband, etc.

[maxsolomon]

11. Why? Because it works.

In '24, Trump and the RWNM started calling Harris a Communitst.

Soon thereafter, a co-worker told me Harris was a Communist. He was "joking", but it was the 1st reason he had to justify a vote for Trump.

A day later, my Dad told me Harris was a Communist. He voted for Trump for a third time.

Remember: this bullshit works on the American Voter, because collectively, they're dumb AF.

[Peppertoo]

12. Trump was mentored by McCarthy's henchman, Roy Cohn

[AllaN01Bear]

13. i have heard that felgercarb before .

yawn

[FloridaBlues]

14. At 32% approval rating many people have tuned him. Because he lies every moment.

[3Hotdogs]

15. Fukkin commies want to hurt people.... take away Jesus and make life bad for everyday Americans.

Would you want to have a commie red bastid for a friend?

I wouldn't.

[Festivito]

17. 1. How can I help fight communism? 2. What is communism?

And 3. what would your response mean when applied to democratic socialism?

Who but the lackluster nonthinkers would fail to see right through your answer.

Pure communism fails. Pure capitalism fails. If we need a mix, can we decide on the mix democratically? Perhaps we could call it democratic socialism. Hmmm?

[Joinfortmill]

19. Putin's Buddy is talking about commies. Jeez. Lol.