Ideas Count .....by Gerald Frendt

 Ideas count, and ideas often come with names.  In the most recent facet of the Presidential “Dust Up”, the Republican ticket has followed Joe, the Plumber, in suggesting that Senator Barack Obama “sounds like a Socialist”.  Media pundits across the political spectrum condemn the suggestion as nothing more than desperate name calling.  Fred Barnes, Executive Editor of the “Weekly Standard”, and a conservative Fox News contributor, scoffs that “socialism is when the government owns the means of production, in the economy”, that merely wanting to “spread the wealth” does not qualify one as a socialist.  With his recent support of the Wall Street bailout, and the subsequent “nationalization” of major banks, it is easy to understand his sensitivity on the subject.  Many Republicans feel shame that it was our party that introduced these intrusive market measures.  Social engineering of our mortgage market led to the creation of worthless mortgage securities, the perceived willingness to guarantee those securities led to world wide speculation.  The speculators were proven right – when social programs go bad, they are always fixed with more social programs.  Politicians never admit failure.

 Karl Marx, history’s most famous socialist, favored government ownership of the means of production.  He is most closely associated with the phrase, “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”.  Sound familiar?  Senator Bernie Sanders, of Vermont , is the only member of Congress to identify himself proudly, as a democratic socialist.  He is rated the fourth most liberal member of the Senate, while Senators Obama and Biden are number one and three, respectively. I wonder if Senator Sanders would find them socialist leaning?

 So, what’s the problem with being identified as a socialist?  Marketing.  As “informed” Americans, we remember that the USSR , stood for The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , and we wouldn’t want to be like that. We were taught that socialist societies, lose their individual freedoms, and we wouldn’t like that. We associate Socialism, with Communism, and Communism with godlessness, and we wouldn’t tolerate that.  Election marketers know the attention span of the American public is about thirty seconds, so when their candidate is identified as a  “socialist”, they aggressively resist the negative associations that come with that name.

 Anyone willing to spend more than thirty seconds, would know that we have steadily moved from a Capitalist, free market society to a more socialistic and regulated society. From the inception of the progressive income tax, Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, welfare, in its many forms, national funding and control of our schools, subsidized and controlled agriculture, the list goes on…we have continued to let government take a bigger and bigger role in our lives. Next, most likely, will be health care, control of free speech, through the “fairness doctrine”, regulation and rationing of our energy needs, and controls to “save the planet”.  We will even extend all these social benefits to those that illegally invade our borders.  But we will not tolerate socialism.

 In this election year, it took Joe, the plumber, to state the obvious…“the Emporer has no clothes”.  He has been the recipient of wrath and scorn from politicians and the media in its highest degree.  His credentials have been trashed… “his name is Sam, not Joe”,… “he doesn’t have a plumbers license”,….“he owes back taxes”…

 When Michigan’s electoral votes were still being contested, many unashamed Capitalists, who normally vote Republican, were resigned to holding our nose while in the booth.  We didn’t find Senator McCain a consistent defender of our beliefs. Then came Governor Sarah Palin, a defender of Joe, the Plumber, as well as our belief in free market Capitalism.  Similar to Joe, she is a recipient of unrelenting scorn and ridicule.  Compared to the three Senators, running for national office, she has more executive experience, but more importantly, she radiates and communicates a genuine trustworthiness to the average American worker and family.  She comes to this challenge with an internal instinct that will guide her to make good on her oath of office – “to defend the Constitution” and in doing so, she will defend our American values.

 In the primary season, all of the Republican candidates failed in their attempt to identify themselves as the next Reagan.  Like Cinderella’s ugly sisters, they tried, unsuccessfully, to squeeze into his shoes.  But with Sarah Palin, the shoe fits.

 In 1964, Ronald Reagan made his national political debut by giving his famous speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater.  The country wasn’t ready for his message and the Republican Party was dealt the worst defeat since 1936.  Conservatives picked up the pieces and two years later they regained 47 house seats.  The Republican Party was rebuilt and would be dominated by the Reagan movement over the next 24 years. The Bush Presidencies returned the party to pre-Reagan form.  Ronald Reagan would not have bailed out Wall Street, nor would he have nationalized the banks.  Our party is corrupted and damaged.  Hopefully, history will be kind, and if we are to suffer defeat, maybe we can find some solace in having identified a new party standard bearer that will help us pick up the pieces.