There have been two main words which many have tried to associate with Obama which we know not to be true. For the elites in the MSM both of them would disqualify Barack from the presidency. One of them is 'muslim' and the other is 'socialist'-and both have been used repeatedly as slurs. If we are to believe the McCain campaign's insinuations, Barack Obama is a cross between Osama Bin Laden and Joseph Stalin, the religious right's chosen representatives for mainstream islam and socialism respectively.
Here is Colin Powell's quote on Meet the Press from October 19 where he addresses the muslim rumors:
I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America.
This was exactly the best response-and it should have been said earlier. Any non-islamophobic American would agree whole-heartedly and probably thought the same thing long before Powell made the statement.
Now let's replace the term 'Muslim' with 'Socialist':
I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Socialist." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Socialist, he's a Liberal*. He's always been a Liberal. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Socialist in this country? The answer's no, that's not America.
Wouldn't it be great if we could hear those words uttered just once by someone in office (apart from the beloved Bernie Sanders)? Or at least by more ordinary folks? I am well aware of the powerful forces that try to brainwash us into thinking that capitalism and democracy are part of the same heavenly plan that Jesus instilled in our founding fathers. However, I believe we should remind people that the terms 'socialist' and 'American' are not contradictory!
Further reading:
Wikipedia article on democratic socialism
Wikipedia list of worldwide democratic socialist parties and organizations
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*PS: I replaced the term 'Christian' with 'Liberal'. Presumably 'Progressive' or 'Democrat' would do just as well.