There is a debate within Fox News, and the conservative media, about Obama’s socialism. Rush Limbaugh and his two stooges, Hannity and Beck, insist that Obama is a socialist; the more respected, Bill O’Reilly, says that Obama is not a socialist, and he is right.
For a start, pure socialism does not exist! There are hybrid system, combining elements of socialism with other systems, but there is no pure socialism. The Israeli Kibbutz is perhaps the closest thing to pragmatic socialism, but it too is now an umbrella for various businesses that are jointly owned by the employees.
What is being tried by conservatives is to use labels for political advantage. The American public, especially Republicans of the old school, consider socialism to be evil. Associating a name of a politician such as President Obama, with socialism, favors his opposition. Most Americans, however, are becoming to savvy to fall for demeaning people by simply using labels; most Americans are sophisticated enough to realize that labeling Obama a socialist does not simply make him one!
It is true that under the guise of socialism many negative government actions were perpetrated by leaders such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, but it is also true that a great deal of good was done in the name of that system.
To quote Bill O’Reilly until President Obama advocated the government seizure of all property, and until Obama advocates the end to free enterprise and individual ownership, President Barak Hussein Obama cannot be considered a socialist!
