Paul Krugman |
Some progressive U.S. politicians now describe themselves as socialists, and a significant number of voters, including a majority of voters under 30, say they approve of socialism. But neither the politicians nor the voters are clamoring for government seizure of the means of production. Instead, they’ve taken on board conservative rhetoric that describes anything that tempers the excesses of a market economy as socialism, and in effect said, “Well, in that case I’m a socialist.”Well there are two problems with this. First, they are not tempering "the excesses of a market economy." By attempts, for example, at ending private healthcare insurance, they are stabbing at the very heart of the market economy.
And secondly, to the degree that they are not clamouring for "government seizure of the means of production," it is because they know the current limits of any power grab. It is Leninist strategic thinking, bring along as many as you can for the ride for as long as you can.
Krugman is trying to suck in as many as possible to the socialist cause and remarkably closes his essay with this (my bold):
[V]oters overwhelmingly support most of the policies proposed by American “socialists,” including higher taxes on the wealthy and making Medicare available to everyone (although they don’t support plans that would force people to give up private insurance — a warning to Democrats not to make single-payer purity a litmus test).
On the other hand, we should never discount the power of dishonesty. Right-wing media will portray whomever the Democrats nominate for president as the second coming of Leon Trotsky, and millions of people will believe them. Let’s just hope that the rest of the media report the clean little secret of American socialism, which is that it isn’t radical at all.Yeah, Paulie, not radical in the lefty circles that you travel in but very radical for anyone that understands free markets.
-RW
Just because the state doesn't legally seize the means of production doesn't mean that, through much heavier regulation, it cannot economically seize the means of production. The latter (economic fascism) is still worthy of contempt by free-marketeers.
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