" We must recognize that in the 21st century, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, economic rights are human rights. That is what I mean by democratic socialism. "
Even the milktoast " socialism " of Bernie Sanders will find only toxic soil in the Democratic Party. As a democratic socialist I will give Bernie Sanders critical support even trying to revive the reformist vision of FDR . That does not = MY VOTE .
Today SOCIALISM as an IDEA is in the air and on the air . For more than a century the pristine idea of socialism has been poisoned- not by Marx and Engels- but by slightly deranged and incompetent -and power mad - disciples. Like Comrade Stalin .
And ALL the Marxist sectarian parties today - a number call themselves Trotskyist or Leninist - have a weird resemblance to the daffy Church of Scientology , their members acting like " Clears " subservient to some permanent , infallible GREAT LEADER ( with a very capitalist bank account ) .
The biggest mistake of the Russian Bolsheviks -long before the Stalinist era- was to declare their state " officially atheist ".
To be sure , SOCIALISM today does not have a chance of once again building a mass movement if it remains openly contemptuous of Christianity , of ALL the world's great religions . SOCIALISM must reject the arrogance of the New Atheism . It must also reject certain dry as dust totalitarian language like " the dictatorship of the proletariat " .
I never met any group of " proles " - innocent of the VANGUARD PARTY propaganda - who were languishing with a longing for ANY dictatorship . A " socialist " ELITE is more probable than dictating proles.
ALL the self-appointed VANGUARD MARXIST parties today contain the seeds of totalitarianism. They would be wise to dissolve themselves into some broader national or international Labor Party .
Decaying capitalism can only be defended by lies and brutality . But good luck to any soft boiled socialists who imagine it can be reformed- and happily without any lunatic violence.
The main principle of democratic socialism is that it challenges the very moral legitimacy of " legitimate " wealth . And it is implacably hostile to the Pentagon War Crimes Machine , to US imperialism and ALL imperialism .
Even the milktoast " socialism " of Bernie Sanders will find only toxic soil in the Democratic Party. As a democratic socialist I will give Bernie Sanders critical support even trying to revive the reformist vision of FDR . That does not = MY VOTE .
Today SOCIALISM as an IDEA is in the air and on the air . For more than a century the pristine idea of socialism has been poisoned- not by Marx and Engels- but by slightly deranged and incompetent -and power mad - disciples. Like Comrade Stalin .
And ALL the Marxist sectarian parties today - a number call themselves Trotskyist or Leninist - have a weird resemblance to the daffy Church of Scientology , their members acting like " Clears " subservient to some permanent , infallible GREAT LEADER ( with a very capitalist bank account ) .
The biggest mistake of the Russian Bolsheviks -long before the Stalinist era- was to declare their state " officially atheist ".
To be sure , SOCIALISM today does not have a chance of once again building a mass movement if it remains openly contemptuous of Christianity , of ALL the world's great religions . SOCIALISM must reject the arrogance of the New Atheism . It must also reject certain dry as dust totalitarian language like " the dictatorship of the proletariat " .
I never met any group of " proles " - innocent of the VANGUARD PARTY propaganda - who were languishing with a longing for ANY dictatorship . A " socialist " ELITE is more probable than dictating proles.
ALL the self-appointed VANGUARD MARXIST parties today contain the seeds of totalitarianism. They would be wise to dissolve themselves into some broader national or international Labor Party .
Decaying capitalism can only be defended by lies and brutality . But good luck to any soft boiled socialists who imagine it can be reformed- and happily without any lunatic violence.
The main principle of democratic socialism is that it challenges the very moral legitimacy of " legitimate " wealth . And it is implacably hostile to the Pentagon War Crimes Machine , to US imperialism and ALL imperialism .
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Ron