It is possible to provide quality education and healthcare without arresting political rivals

socialist hate is rooted in cold war and mccarthyism. it was revived into the mainstream by Republicans, but the bad taste has always been there.

and it is an attack since while the other accusations were obvious nonsense to the nonindoctrinated, this one is obviously true, although the meaning of the word is greatly disputed. thus, this thread.

The republicans have destroyed the meaning of the word. They call everyone a socialist and a communist. Some of Obama's policies could have been republican policies, but they still screamed communist. People have gotten sick of it. It doesn't have the same weight it once did.

This is the 1st election where millennials make up the biggest chunk of the voters. They don't remember the cold war. They have never seen a communist country that was, in any way, a threat to america.

Calling sanders a socialist isn't a good attack at this point. they were going to call any democrat who ran a socialist, it doesn't matter who gets picked so the attack has been watered down. The kind of person who that argument works on, is the same person who would have listened to it when they said it about Pete or Biden. The rest are just going to tune it out.

although, as a self proclaimed socialist running for president in a nation traditionally hostile to socialists... that was an idiotic move by sanders. i love the new snl sketch about the corona virus where the guy who plays sanders interjects and says "you know who did the best handwashing, joseph stalin"

Honestly, most people who make that argument don't even believe it. They are just desperate to protect their own power and wealth.

Look at the recent statement sanders made where he said that Cuba improved education under castro (which it did). He was immediately attacked by news outlets, political rivals, even DNC officials (who are supposed to be neutral). They all said the it was totally wrong to ever say anything even remotely positive about castro or Cuba, no exceptions. But they all conveniently left out the part where Obama said virtually the same thing a few years ago and almost no one cared. My favorite was Whoopee Goldberg attacking sanders viciously on the View for it, when she actually defended Obama for the same thing a few years ago saying something like "that's what a president is supposed to do".

They don't honestly believe the attacks they are using. But they will stoop to any level to try to protect their power and influence.

this tautology is meant to negate the nonsense right wing "damnation by association" argument that Medicare for all will lead to a soviet style dictatorship.