Name calling is a two-way street. So you can call Obama and us Democrats socialist all you want just as long as we Democrats can call you republicans Nazi's.

Not a debate over the direction of the party or the substance of its policies, but over precisely which disparaging epithet to use against the opposition.

I think a case can be made that the present-day GOP is a Franco-style Fascist party. Their mix of Authoritarian "unitary executive" governance, Corporatism and State-Sponsored Evangelical Christianity is an updated model of that style of Spanish Fascism.

If the right wants to use a catch-all demonising of supporters for any type of mixed-economy as Socialists, than I think using Fascist as a label for the wing-nut GOP is more than appropriate.

Senator Demented was on the radio yesterday claiming that Americans were having "buyers remorse" on electing Obama. The same Obama that has a 64% approval, or there abouts in near every poll/

Sometimes cognitive dissonance turns the corner into into shithouse rat crazy/.

John King (CNN) frequently goes out to rural diners to find out more reasons "regular Americans" hate Obama. Last weekend he was interviewing a group, and one subject came up where a woman actually agreed with Obama's position. "But then, I guess I was always somewhat socialist," she said. I'm guessing she didn't know exactly what the word meant, but the way Republicans have been using it, it sure loses its potency.

steve,

it must get real tedious readin' thinkin' about and then composin' posts about teh republican stupid. it certainly is tedious havin' to read it all everyday.

but then i think, "at least i dont live on planet stupid with them maroons, the repubs,"

... and i praise jeebus and move on (pardon the pun)

The circular firing-squad continues.

Let them, they increasingly marginalize themselves as they increasingly paint themselves into these substance-less corners. Worry about 'name-calling' instead of offering substantive, credible alternatives to what the Democrats are doing.

This kind of thing only hastens their permanent departure from the political stage.

On the verge of taliban in control of Pakistani nukes we get more and more posts about Republican talking points.

wake up Steve.

...and who let the forgotton war get forgotton so that the Taliban became resurgent?

Hahahaha. By all means, I hope they do start using the term "socialism" even more. Given how popular Obama is, and given that the Cold War is over (which none of the Republicans seem to have noticed), all it'll do is make the idea of "socialism" (whatever it means to various people) MORE popular.

The economy will start getting better, Obama will continue being generally successful, the Republicans will continue going "OH NO HE A SOCIALIST BLAH BLAH BLAH", and the generation of people who were still young children or yet unborn when the Berlin Wall fell will hear that and go "Hey, if this is 'socialism', how bad could it be?" And I welcome that. :D

It's time to start referring to the GOP as "the Khmer Rouge of the Wealthy." All they're doing is supplanting a hybridized form of hypercapitalism for Pol Pot's fantasized agrarianism; their current rhetoric pretty much aligns with the manifesto of the killing fields, and the insane drive to split their own party's population with an us-or-them mentality is the core credo of all tinpot dictatorships.

I know a guy who when he wants to be really bitingly critical, calls you a "fucking jerkoff." I think the Republicans would be willing to entertain that as a talking point, and it probably wouldn't alienate their base.

Republican success at associating a relatively hapless and weak Democratic President (Carter) with progressive ideas and policies led to "liberal" becoming a frequently used perjorative.

They continued their name calling attacks during the Clinton years and, with help from weak willed Democratic congress critters undermined much of his agenda.

Now they're trying the same tactic on President Obama, but they're too stoopid to plan and execute it properly. Obama is so popular, strong, respected, admired, and competent, that the association is having the opposite effect.

Instead of Obama being dragged down by the "socialist" label, he's dragging the socialist label upwards into respectability.

neill and grinning cat

A big part of Steve's shtick is ferreting out republican nonsense. Don't act surprised or disappointed. If you want other news, no ones holding a gun to your head. feel free to browse the interwebs.

And if you find interesting articles while your out there, please share.

"Just as President Reagan's identification of the Soviet Union as the 'evil empire' galvanized opposition to communism..."

Riiiight, because during the previous 30 years of the cold war, there was so much disagreement over whether the USSR was our friend, and whether communism was good or bad. When we started calling them evil though, that was the winning strategy!

"Riiiight, because during the previous 30 years of the cold war, there was so much disagreement over whether the USSR was our friend, and whether communism was good or bad. When we started calling them evil though, that was the winning strategy!"

Not to bring up inconvenient historical realities, but when Reagan become President the idea of detente had morphed for quite a few on the left into the idea that the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were just two sides of the same coin. "They are bad but we are bad, too" was the refrain. Reagan calling them the Evil Empire was a fairly big deal because a lot of folks didn't or didn't want to think of things in those terms.

Mike

grinning cat's comments are a total waste because he chooses to talk about the wrong things.

Why don't you comment on what I want you to comment about, cat?

Wonderful, I had not thought of this, perhaps because Spanish fascism is not much of a topic in American schools. When Bush & crew were in power, I called the Republicans the "Conservative Corporate Christian Party" but that never caught on ... Now I have a proper description for them.

Posted by: Joe Isuzu on April 23, 2009 at 12:51

"I think a case can be made that the present-day GOP is a Franco-style Fascist party. Their mix of Authoritarian "unitary executive" governance, Corporatism and State-Sponsored Evangelical Christianity is an updated model of that style of Spanish Fascism.

If the right wants to use a catch-all demonising of supporters for any type of mixed-economy as Socialists, than I think using Fascist as a label for the wing-nut GOP is more than appropriate."

Just as President Reagan's identification of the Soviet Union as the 'evil empire' galvanized opposition to communism...

Right. Because before Reagan the whole of the US was all totally "pro-Commie". It's only after Reagan made a Star Wars reference that suddenly everyone said "Why, Martha, by-golly those Commies really are horrible people - just like that Emperor on that Star Wars moving picture."

Not to bring up inconvenient historical realities, but when Reagan become President the idea of detente had morphed for quite a few on the left into the idea that the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were just two sides of the same coin.

Insofar as that is true, the people who had taken those positions were not swayed by the Reagan description, which had no effect on that dynamic.

"Fascist" has been thrown around so much already (and blowhards like Jonah Goldberg have somehow applied it to progressives) that I think it might be better to refer to Rethugs as Falangists, which I believe was what the Franco people actually called their movement. Of course, for the first quite a few times it would be necessary to explain to the historically-challenged Great American Public what a Falangist was...but the description is a surprisingly good fit.

In a time of a war against terror, the Republican talk of socialist Obama comparative to the USSR is treason (by their standards) isn't it?

The aspect in which the modern Republican party has seemed to me to be most fascist in its tendencies is its fundamental dishonesty. In particular, I am reminded of George Orwell's essay Looking Back at the Spanish War.

If you are interested, read section 4 of that essay in which he expands on the idea that:

"Early in life I have noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper, but in Spain, for the first time, I saw newspaper reports which did not bear any relation to the facts, not even the relationship which is implied in an ordinary lie."

So this is why Rush was not on his show today, he was strong arming Governors to sign on to this Democratic name change poppycock.

This is a classic Rush tactic. Knowing that the Republican party is dying on the vine by their own inattention; and with break away conservative movements by another name...Rush wants them to start proactively calling for the Democrats to change their name first.

I know this like I know every square inch of my glorious body...

It's the "Socialism Surge". If something's not working, doing the same thing twice as much clearly will.

The Daily Show and a hilarious 2-part expose of how horrible it is in Socialist Sweden Tuesday and yesterday. Worth a look-see.

joe isuzu upthread "If the right wants to use a catch-all demonising of supporters for any type of mixed-economy as Socialists, than I think using Fascist as a label for the wing-nut GOP is more than appropriate."

that's kinda ironic...just the other day the ny times had an article about the debate in republican circles over wither calling obama a "socialist" or a "fascist" worked better..

the modern gop: "masters of projection"

"Just as President Reagan's identification of the Soviet Union as the 'evil empire' galvanized opposition to communism ..."

Hello? The United States had been opposed to communism since 1918.