Anthony Dimaggio — Sanders’ Socialism: Neutering a Radical Tradition

The discussion of the Sanders campaign in “mainstream” media discourse is heavily propagandistic, completely failing to provide audiences with an accurate understanding of the difference between socialism and social democracy, the latter of which Sanders actually embraces, despite his rhetorical support for the former….

Bernie Sanders is neither a radical nor a revolutionary; therefore, he is no socialist.  He just want a welfare state under managed capitalism instead of a market state under neoliberalism.

Counterpunch
Sanders’ Socialism: Neutering a Radical Tradition
Anthony Dimaggio

Marco Rubio — If You Like Bernie Sanders, ‘Move To A Socialist Country’

The growing popularity of Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) proves that Democrats, not Republicans, have been “radicalized” over the course of the 2016 presidential election, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on Wednesday.

Speaking in front of an audience in South Carolina, the Republican presidential candidate pushed back against claims that Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have driven the Republican party toward the radical right. Those claims were sparked after Trump proposed policies like banning all Muslims from entering the United States and killing the families of terrorists, and Cruz proposed“carpet bombing” ISIS.But according to Rubio, it’s the Democrats who have gone too far.

“The Democratic Party has been taken over by radical left-wing elements,” Rubio said, adding he doesn’t understand why people have been calling out Republicans for moving right-ward during the election while Sanders — an avowed democratic socialist — won New Hampshire and is gaining in national polls. “The Democratic party has been radicalized,” he said.

Rubio also urged voters who supported Sanders’ agenda to move to another country.
“If you want to live in a socialist country, why not move to a socialist country?” He asked. “We want to be America.”…

On Wednesday, Rubio also said someone like Trump or Cruz would be a better choice for the presidency because “none of [them are] a socialist.”

Think Progress

Rubio: If You Like Bernie Sanders, ‘Move To A Socialist Country’
Emily Atkin

Rubio clarifies:

Marco Rubio says socialism is distinct from the communism his parents fled in Cuba and he doesn't fault Bernie Sanders for promoting it -- but that doesn't mean he agrees with his Senate colleague.…

"What I appreciate about Bernie is he's not trying to shirk from it," Rubio said. "It's what he believes in. He's honest about it."

He also noted that the viewpoint obviously resonates with plenty of people who support Sanders' presidential campaign and have re-elected him in Vermont.

"I don't think it works for America," Rubio said. "My argument is, you want to live in a country like that -- there's like dozens of countries around the world that are socialist -- move there. We should continue to be America."

But the beauty of democracy, Rubio added, is that the debate can happen.
"I don't personally have a problem with Bernie because he's being honest about what he believes in. I'd love to have that debate," Rubio said.

Rubio seems to have completely forgotten about FDR and the New Deal, which is more or less what Bernie is proposing as "the fair deal."

CNN Politics

Marco Rubio sticks up for Bernie Sanders
Tal Kopan



Raw Story
Professor Frances Fox Piven describes Sanders: You could call him a New Deal Democrat
Arturo Garcia

David F. Ruccio — Only in America

Apparently, this is the way to get attention of the administration on college campuses these days: threaten to cut off $1 million football revenues. 

A student engaged in a week-long hunger strike wasn’t able to get the university’s president to address racism on campus. So, black football players, with the support of white players and coaches, have stopped practicing and have threatened not to play in the scheduled games.…

It's happening. And the pundits are saying that Occupy fizzled out without amounting to anything, that is, the Establishment won using hardball tactics. The US is becoming radicalized.

Occasional Links & Commentary
Only in America
David F. Ruccio | Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame