For those of us with no more than a passing understanding of Socialism, this makes sense. But for a real, live Socialist, well, I hope Leftover will explain things.
Leftover, if you’re not in the mood, that’s OK. I just thought this was interesting.
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Dating Jesus 
(When yanking leftover’s chain, always make sure to have a plunger at the ready.)
I remember seeing this when it first hit the internets. The intent was to make the Sanders Brand™ of Bourgeois Reformism (Democratic Socialism?) politically palatable to fence-sitting moderates and independents.
There is, actually, one fact in that entire Al Jazeera video that saves it from being classified as not just merely bullshit, but really most sincerely bullshit: Helen Keller was, in fact, a Socialist. That’s it. Even the simplistic definition of Socialism offered at the beginning is so scant, and so completely ignored in the rest of the Al Jazeera presentation, that it cannot be considered much more than a tool of misinformation: A bait-and-switch.
But Socialists like myself usually tend not to criticize this type of thing too much because it makes people, especially young people, more curious about Socialism and Marxism in general. That’s a good thing. And it tends to work against the Cold War Stalinist/Maoist/Castroist stereotype that still forms the basis of most Americans’ limited understanding of Socialism. That’s a good thing, too. To a point.
If you want me to address particular points, I will. Suffice it to say that social democratic tendency in classical liberalism, like New Deal (welfare state) reformism, does not constitute evidence of Marxism/Socialism (anti-capitalism) in America or anywhere else. Stating it does actually mimics right-wing reactionary disinformation that reinforces Cold War stereotypes.
Al Jazeera: The FOXNews of the Left.
Nah. This was just my way of saying “good morning.” I understand it’s simplistic, which in the morning, before coffee, is about all I can digest. Did you see the Green Party introduced anti-capitalism into their platform?
The problem with this is that it’s not merely simplistic. It is, by design, a falsehood. Disinformation. Bullshit.
I haven’t read what was finally adopted at the convention, but I have read the Richard D. Wolff proposal. I respect Wolff. His views on decentralization and analyses of alternative economic systems represent the best of Marxist revisionism. There’s an argument for incrementalism, and Wolff does an excellent job promoting it. The problem is, it may be too late for that. This election will determine whether or not that’s the case.
However, when I see the Green Party come out publicly as “anti-capitalist” I think they are referring more to “ant-neoliberalism” and opposition to the era of monopoly-finance capitalism that empowers neoliberalism. Bourgeois reformists billing themselves as anti-capitalist, in this case, is a bid to quickly post public support in the national polls. The Greens and the Libertarians need to poll support at 15% or more to get into the Presidential debate schedule…before September 26th. They need disaffected Sandersnistas to pull that off. Going to be hard with Bernie campaigning for I’m Not Trump.
Green Party hyperbole.
Nothing is free. Systemic racism cannot be defeated at the ballot box. Presidents don’t rule by decree, and a Green Party President without any majority support in either House or Senate would have no hope of accomplishing any of the goals mentioned in that video. Stein should be campaigning to build her Party down ballot. Not her candidacy.