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Call it a hunch, but they seem to be running out of ideas.
Republicans that is. Or at least Republicans in Washington, D.C. Or at least some Republicans in Washington, D.C. It would be unfair to paint all members of the GOP with the same brush; political parties are vast collections of people with diverse viewpoints.
But in the current landscape of 24/7 media and pervasive social media and “gotcha” politics, it is trendy to seize upon the most outrageous fringe of a particular belief system and pretend it represents all members of a particular group. So we apologize in advance to those Republicans who remain reasonable, thoughtful and willing to argue policy on its merits.
Unfortunately, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, does not fit into that category. Rather than engage in a nuanced discussion of policy, Stewart is resorting to dog whistles and fear-mongering and scare tactics. Because that is what you do when you run out of ideas.
Stewart proudly announced last week that he has received approval to form an “Anti-Socialism Caucus” in the House of Representatives. “So much time has passed from the fall of the Iron Curtain that many have internalized — or never experienced — socialism’s ultimate price,” he said. “If we fail to recall those dangerous times, the primitive appeal of socialism will advance and infect our institutions.”
Ultimate price? Dangerous times? Primitive appeal? Infect our institutions? Sounds scary. And yet it seems to be all that Republicans have these days. Well, that and tax cuts for the wealthy. In his State of the Union address in February, President Trump declared, “Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country” — as if that really needed to be said.
No, the United States is firmly ensconced in capitalism, and for the most part that has served us well. But when Democrats come up with ideas that could perhaps make it work better for people — you know, like higher tax rates for the wealthy or a plan to fight climate change or a higher minimum wage — Stewart and his ilk can only resort to labels intended to instill fear in voters.
There is nothing new about this strategy. In 1952, Democratic President Harry S. Truman noted: “Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called Social Security. Socialism is what they called farm price supports. Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance. Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations. Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.”
Unlike most quotes you find on the internet, Truman actually said this. And it rings true today.
Before we go any further, we should mention that a spokeswoman for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, said the congresswoman has not commented on the new caucus. While Herrera Beutler and I often argue about policy, I appreciate her willingness to examine the nuance of a particular issue. The guess is that she will not be seduced by the scare tactics of an “Anti-Socialism Caucus.”
But other Republicans will. They will buy into the fear and will sell it to their constituents, ignoring the fact that nobody is suggesting the United States should be a socialist country. Socialism means the state owns the means of production, and nobody has recommended that the government should take over, say, Boeing.
No, the United States does not need to worry about becoming a socialist country. But conservatives should worry that their brand of capitalism is not working for enough people. A Gallup poll last year found that 45 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 had a positive view of capitalism. That cohort might not have experienced socialism’s ultimate price, but they lived through capitalism’s Great Recession. And they remember it.
All of that means that Republicans better come up with some ideas. The hunch is that fear-mongering and caucuses won’t work much longer.
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