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In a Democratic Party that is increasingly leaning farther left, the battle for 2020 may be one against the rise of the so-called “Democratic Socialist” brand, turning the election into more than a battle between candidates, but one of the ideals pitting Democratic Socialism against Capitalism.
Socialism is being marketed to a younger generation under the new moniker of “Democratic Socialism.”
Two Democratic 2020 presidential candidates are embracing democratic socialism, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. The movement is most strongly led by Sanders, who is one of the most popular Senators in America.
Sanders has raised more money than any other Democratic candidate and is currently leading in most polls.
Leading the movement among young people is self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, media darling New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC).
She has used both a strong national media and social media presence to bring socialism to the younger generations.
Last March, at the South by Southwest (SXSW), Ocasio-Cortez drew a full house of young people, leaving many more trying unsuccessfully to squeeze into the venue where she was speaking.
“Capitalism, to me, is an ideology of capital. The most important thing is the concentration of capital, and it means that we seek and prioritize profit and the accumulation of money above all else, and we seek it at any human and environmental cost,” Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd to loud applause.
“But when we talk about ideas for example like Democratic Socialism, it means putting democracy and society first, instead of capital first.”
But while socialism may be rising in popularity among younger people, with the nation as a whole, polls show that Democratic Socialism is about as unpopular as capitalism is popular.
It would seem to follow, that it would be a cakewalk for Republicans to point to the robust economy and the new highs in the stock market as a way of proving that capitalism works, and that embracing socialism is going to make all that go away.
But the problem is, the performance of the stock market is not high on the agenda of young people. They are much more focused on quality of life issues, with a living wage, healthcare, and concerns about the environment being foremost on their minds.
But some people see Democratic socialists as nothing more than Marxist. Actress Kirstie Alley said using the term “Democratic Socialist” was like calling yourself a “gentle Nazi.”
Some critics say that Sanders isn’t the “Denmark” or Nordic-style “Democratic Socialist” he is making himself out to be, but believe that he is in actuality a Marxist and a supporter of communism.
There is a long documented history throughout Sanders’ political career that does lay some credence to these claims.
It’s documented that Sanders made a comment that he was “excited” about the communist revolution in Cuba and that JFK getting tough on Castro made him want to “puke.”
In 1980, when Iran took Americans hostage, Sanders joined a Trotskyist revolutionary party that defended the Islamic regime’s actions.
When the US was working to contain communism in Central America, Sanders flew to Nicaragua to lend credibility to the Sandinistas.
Sanders is openly calling for the nationalization of many industries including healthcare, higher education, and the Internet.
There are many more examples of Sanders’ communists and Marxist leanings that can be found with a little research.
Sanders’ history shows he goes beyond the type of Nordic-style socialism he claims he is in favor of and what he is trying to brand as democratic socialism.
The undercover videos of Project Veritas have exposed numerous hidden agendas of the Democratic Party and the latest video appears to show a Bernie Sanders campaign official admitting on video that the Senator is only “masquerading” as a Democratic Socialist and is actually a real socialist.
“I think he’s a legit, I think that he’s a legit socialist masquerading as a democratic socialist,” said Sanders’ Iowa Field Organizer Kyle Jurek to an undercover journalist from Project Veritas. “I think that a lot of his, a lot of the things that he’s suggesting in moving forward takes us further than Democratic Socialism. Like he masquerades it.”
If there’s one word being thrown around more and more these days, especially by young people – it’s social justice.
Dr. Jean Louise Cohen, a Columbia University professor defined the aims of Democratic Socialists in the battle for social justice to Newsweek.
“Democratic Socialists obviously esteem democracy and social justice and reject a need for a trade off,” Professor Cohen said. “They seek to enhance liberal democracy with social democracy and a plurality of forms of participation.”
Dr. Eileen Hunt Botting, a professor at Notre Dame University also gave Newsweek a definition of democratic socialism, saying, it “aims to use democratic government to promote a more fair and egalitarian distribution of social goods and opportunities among all people in a society.”
Last week during an interview, Trump accused Sanders of being a more than a socialist, alleging the Senator was a communist.
“I think he’s a communist,” Trump told Fox host Sean Hannity, referring to Sanders. “I mean, you know, look, I think of communism when I think of Bernie.”
“I think of Bernie sort of as a socialist but far beyond a socialist,” Trump continued. “At least he’s true to what he believes.”
Sanders was given the opportunity to reply to Trump’s comments by Fox host Chris Wallace.
“Obviously I am not a communist,” Sanders said, adding that Trump “maybe doesn’t know the difference.”
“In many respects, we are a socialist society today,” Sanders added. “The difference between my socialism and Trump’s socialism is I believe the government should help working families, not billionaires.”
Ocasio-Cortez has been campaigning with Sanders, drawing younger people toward embracing the Vermont Senator for president.
AOC has even led many to speculate that she would be a potential running mate with Sanders. However, the inexperienced 30-year-old freshman Congresswoman is five years under the threshold age of 35 to be eligible to run as vice president, so being Sanders’ running mate would not be a possibility.
But should Sanders win, it’s assumed Ocasio-Cortez what likely be offered a high position within his administration.
