Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Spencer Bachus Makes List of 17 Socialists in Congress

"His name is Spencer Bachus and he has made a list -- a secret list! -- of the socialists in the House of Representatives. Or so he told the Birmingham News. Who are the seventeen socialists? That's the secret part, apparently.

From The Hill's Briefing Room:

Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) puts the number of socialists in the House at 17.

"Some of the men and women I work with in Congress are socialists," Bachus told local government leaders on Thursday, according to the Birmingham News.

Bachus gave the specific number of House socialists when pressed later by a reporter."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/09/spencer-bachus-socialists_n_185364.html

I'm not familiar with this guy so I looked him up and he doesn't appear to be a raving wingnut at all. However, he's fallen off the deep end on this one. Delving into McCarthyist demogoguery is not a good sign.

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

mises · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: retired

Bernie Sanders is white.

Anyways, I suppose he is right. It is likely that a few socialists exist. Apparently, only about 52% of Americans would really find disagreement with them:

http://www.independent.org/blog/?p=1785

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

No, we have not been here before.

The problem is that many people in news- and opinion-making -- including many who post and debate here on this messageboard -- simply lack the concepts, metaphors, and vocabulary to describe, explain, and discuss that which we see occurring in American affairs today, in 2009. And we keep seeing the same twentieth-century discourse, especially that which emerged from various govts' propaganda machines during the Second World War and the Cold War, unimaginatively applied and repeated here over and over again.

Like the instructions on my shampoo and conditioner: wash, rinse, repeat.

In any case, viva the Communists, Socialists, fascists, Nazis, and, of course, the earlier banana republics. And now, apparently, "McCarthyism" is coming back, too. So may these ideologies continue to dominate our imaginative worlds until the end of time...

RJjr · Joined: 17 Aug 2006 Location: Turning on a Lamp

He may have forgotten one: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/09/rep_spencer_bachus_plans_to_vo.html

harlowethrombey · Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Location: Seoul

I just enjo the fact that even politicians dont seem to actually understand the difference between 'socialism' and 'communism.'

I finally broke down and wrote a long, detailed answer to certain aghast members of my family that wanted to know why I wanted 'everyone to make the same salary' and 'the state to control all business with no private enterprise' and yadda yadda.

You all know this is still just months after the election. When the pot really boils over they'll have full-fledged 'Traitor Lists' and you'll have folks on air (you know who they are) threatening to 'Name Names' in that ominious way.

THe more things change . . .

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

What could you possibly have to tell me about "the current GOP," Kuros? There is nothing "current" in your repertoire. It may interest you to know that I have hurled this criticism at the Republican Party, of which I am a card-carrying member, since B. Obama's election and its poor reaction to it. And not on an anonymous messageboard, either.

And this does not represent hypersensitivity but rather scorn -- scorn of intellectual bankruptcy and unimaginativeness run wild...

In any case, I have stated my objection. You may take it or leave it, as always.

ontheway · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:25 pm Post subject:

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

The most interesting comment I've seen on this was about how the charge of 'socialism' has lost its sting since the Republicans have been throwing it around for a couple of decades to (mis)label any liberal idea to the point that the charge has lost meaning. I think there's something to that observation.

Insofar as attacking Congress is a pretty safe strategy any time, Bachus was safe enough in saying what he did. The trouble is, the GOP members are so unpopular with the general public that he ended up just preaching to the choir. Everyone else sees it as fear-mongering--aimed at them.

If you are really quiet after one of these kinds of headlines, you can hear the shuffle of feet of a few more moderates tippy-toeing out of the party and over into the Independent camp.

bacasper · Joined: 26 Mar 2007