Is President Obama A Socialist?

March 15, 2012 at 3:15 AM

It depends on your terms.  "Socialism" has many meanings, as well as many forms and variations around the world.  There is no single definition of "socialism".  In the late 18th and early 19th-century, when the term was coined, "socialism" referred to any concern for the social problems of capitalism regardless of the solution.  By that definition, and that definition alone, you might say President Obama is a socialist.  In the current, most widely known definition of "Socialism", in which the state controls the means of production, and centrally plans the entire economy, President Obama doesn't even come close. 

 

If you still think President Obama is a Socialist (note the capital S) then you really need to enlighten yourself as to just what Socialism is.  Here is a good place to start:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

 

But I strongly suspect that for those who really think President Obama is a Socialist their minds are already made up, and I shouldn't confuse them with facts. 



Comments
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  Robert Luis Rabello The term is endlessly bandied about on the far right of the political spectrum. I like what you've written, but the impact of fear-mongering typically outweighs reason in political debate.
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  Alan Petrillo True.