I remember watching a gubernatorial candidates debate on television for
an earlier election. The three candidates on stage were Republican John
Raese, Democrat Joe Manchin - now U.S. senator from West Virginia - and
Mountain Party candidate Jessie Johnson. The question of Obamacare came
up and John Raese sneeringly denounced it because it was socialism.
Manchin did not respond. It may have been tacitly, but he effectively
endorsed Raese's position. Jessie Johnson, on the other hand, said that
it seemed to him that a law that mandated that people buy insurance from
private insurance companies was capitalism on steroids. I moaned at him
because he just stopped and left it at that. Oh how I wished that I had
been on that stage. I would have gone on to say the following. Not only
is Obamacare capitalism on steroids, but anyone who tries to tell you
that it is socialism either does not have the slightest idea of what
socialism is or else is flat out lying to you. Which are you, Mr. Raese,
an ignoramus or a liar? Alas, I was not there and Jessie Johnson did not
have the nerve to break with his oh so polite attitude to call out the
right-wing jerk. Raese was allowed to continue with his superior
attitude. Anyway, though, when Bernard Sanders tells you that the police
force is an example of socialism just how is that so different from
calling Obamacare socialism. Either way you are hearing someone who
either does not have the slightest idea of what socialism is or else is
lying to you. So is Sanders an ignoramus or a liar? Either way, whether
it is John Raese or Bernard Sanders, they are both attacking socialism.