Stupid: RNC to pass resolution rebranding Democrats the “Democrat Socialist Party”
posted at 2:50 pm on May 13, 2009 by Allahpundit
Just the sort of smart, sober gesture we need to convince Americans of the party’s new seriousness of purpose. Even Michael Steele — Michael Steele — sees the publicity trainwreck a-comin’, although he’s powerless to stop it.
Oh well. The base will love it, and that’s all that matters.
A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”
When I asked if such a resolution would force RNC Chairman Michael Steele to use that label when talking about Democrats in all his speeches and press releases, the RNC member replied: “Who cares?”…
Steele wrote a memo last month opposing the resolution. Steele said that while he believes Democrats “are indeed marching America toward European-style socialism,” he also said in a (rare) flash of insight that officially referring to them as the Democrat Socialist Party “will accomplish little than to give the media and our opponents the opportunity to mischaracterize Republicans.”
More than anything, this reeks of impotence, operating almost as a concession that the right’s argument on the merits that the left is evolving towards socialism isn’t working to shift public opinion. So now they’re going to up the ante by trying the hard sell: Just repeat “socialism” as much as possible to try to drive it into people’s skulls, never minding the fact that that term’s already lost some of its taboo and might well lose more as it goes further mainstream. Or at least, I hope that’s the GOP strategy here. The alternative, that they’re simply sticking their fingers in their ears and repeating “socialist” over and over out of spite like a five-year-old, is too depressing to contemplate. What’s next, a formal resolution declaring french fries “freedom fries” in the Republican Party henceforth and forevermore?
Blowback
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Yawwwwn.
CynicalOptimist on May 13, 2009 at 2:52 PM
What’s wrong with calling a spade a spade? They already call us the party of racism/sexism/bigotry/homophobia and the party of the rich, they do it without any problem or any fear of reprisal. So what the heck is wrong with returning the favor?
Defector01 on May 13, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Glad I’m not a Republican. Must suck to be one right about now.
RayinVA on May 13, 2009 at 2:53 PM
…and now we find out that, oh about 50% of the people don’t pay taxes and are perfectly happy with a “socialist” running the country…
right2bright on May 13, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Time for Republicans to start manufacturing a message. I’m fine with it.
LibTired on May 13, 2009 at 2:54 PM
That’s it, I’m out. While I believe the sentiment, that’s moronic politics. Did Steele come from the CA Republican party? He’s as dumb as a CA Repub…
oddjob1138 on May 13, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Find yourself another line of work, Allah.
Percy_Peabody on May 13, 2009 at 2:54 PM
You are assuming “socialist” is a bad word among the voters…
right2bright on May 13, 2009 at 2:54 PM
The base would love if the primaries were closed to anyone not registered as a Republican.
ctmom on May 13, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Not as much as not knowing what you are.
TTheoLogan on May 13, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Thanks for keeping me up to date on the resolutions passed by the RNC over the years. I can see where this one is most critical. How long do you think till Meghan McCain gets word and tweets it? I mean every Republican is required to do this now right?
Rocks on May 13, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Conservative yes.
Republican no.
RayinVA on May 13, 2009 at 2:56 PM
This will be followed the next day by the official renaming of the GOP as the “Republican Socialist-Lite Party.”
Clark1 on May 13, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Lame opposition. Basically he’s afraid the media will beat him up for saying the truth.
zmdavid on May 13, 2009 at 2:57 PM
Not a good idea at all.
Instead, I would propose that conservatives just substitute “socialist” for “liberal” in references to their ideology.
EconomicNeocon on May 13, 2009 at 2:57 PM
The Dems don’t formilize these terms through the DNC. This does seem small to me. You as an individual want to use the term. more pwoer to you. I will use statist…more power to me. RNC needs to focus on an alternative agenda based on freedom, federalism and family, not name calling.
WashJeff on May 13, 2009 at 2:57 PM
RayinVa on May13, 2009 at 2:53
Not as bad as its going to suck if Barry can’t spend us out of debt. Of course, you’ll blame Bush. We’ll see how long that talking point will last. It’s worked pretty well for 9 years. Accountability is not a part of the democratic agenda.
volsense on May 13, 2009 at 2:58 PM
I immediately thought of the “Freedom Fries” stupidity as soon as I saw this headline. Good call, AP.
Tell me again why Michael Steele needs to go? Seems to me he is the only sane one in that RNC nuthouse right now.
rockmom on May 13, 2009 at 2:58 PM
Seriously, the only argument against calling them socialist is that they’ll call Republicans names. Heck, I already thought it was the Republican Nazi party anyway.
What PR trainwreck are you talking about? Half of the country thinks socialism is good. Howard Dean said we have had enough of capitalism. I think calling them what they are is appropriate.
Do you still think calling someone Muslim is a slur AP?
ThackerAgency on May 13, 2009 at 2:59 PM
This is dumb.
This is so dumb.
As if the Republicans have been good stewards of fiscal belt tightening.
Get the hell out of here.
This is a meager attempt to satisfy the voting base.
I won’t be fooled
blatantblue on May 13, 2009 at 2:59 PM
If they have a viable alternative plan for EVERYTHING the Democrat Socialists put forth, I’m fine with calling this spade a spade.
SouthernGent on May 13, 2009 at 2:59 PM
A lot of people in this country would rather have socialists run things. I mean, if ya want free stuff at someone else’s expense, who ya gonna vote for?
moonbat monitor on May 13, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Allah – I think you give the integrity of Americans far too much credit.
Publicity is a finicky thing.
You would think calling Tea Party protests “racists” would be a bad thing.
You would think calling a self made woman a “moron” would be a bad thing.
Alas, we are in circa 2009 America – where the attention span is 1/12th of what it was , combined with triple the ignorance.
Therefore, I like this idea. Straight and to the point.
Odie1941 on May 13, 2009 at 2:59 PM
I am expecting a “Jesus walked the Earth with dinosaurs” resolution shortly.
Mark1971 on May 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM
I’m not a Republican but I think it’s an excellent idea for several reasons. Here’s just one:
It will get air time on all the non-Fox news channels.
Face it, Obama has a good approval rating because the mainstream channels refuse to cover anything negative about him.
This will be covered as something negative about republicans… but while they may all mock the label, at least they’ll TALK about it. That gives the association between Democrats and socialism EXPOSURE.
Daggett on May 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM
At least it’s not the “DummycRAT Socialist Party.”
YYZ on May 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Yeah, the fact that most Obama voters and supporters are as dumb as a box of rocks, this will do nothing but confirm what they were voting for….unicorns, rainbows, and free stuff from the gubmint.
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Both parties should come together in a display of unity and rebrand themselves as the Kleptocratic Party
Jewel on May 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Stupid indeed. The media already have guns pointed to their heads, last thing they need to do is give them ammo.
Just focus on getting the message of limited government out there. That’s what they need to do.
Trov on May 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM
I’m a conservative that changed my voter registration from Republican to Independent the day after the Florida primary. This is a stupid idea. The people that support Obama don’t care about words – it has to be explained what socialism is and how it destroys a nation. In fact, it has the opposite effect of what they are looking for.
Glad I’m an Independent.
JeffinOrlando on May 13, 2009 at 3:02 PM
What’s wrong with calling a duck a duck?
nazo311 on May 13, 2009 at 3:02 PM
I dunno … why is it a bad idea? I mean, it’s what they are. The entire Obama agenda is massive socialization of America. Why not call it what it is?
Hell, in many respects it’s worse than Europe.
darwin on May 13, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Maybe the week after that, the GOP can get an animal mascot like Joe Camel or Smokey the Bear. Sexual Harrassment Panda probably needs a job. He could change his name to Petey Don’t be a Socialist Panda.
rw on May 13, 2009 at 3:02 PM
ahh, I see our adults are in charge here.
youngO on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
And the other don’t have a clue what it is.
Knucklehead on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
That’s stupid, and will give idiots like Jon Stewart and Olby plenty of fodder to make more fun of Republicans.
“Democrat Hypocrite Party”, now that I like.
kirkill on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
I don’t know. When was the last time these people did anything to “satisfy the voting base”? I think there’s some people trying to take back the message and not let the libs write the rules for the game.
That said, you and the guy who said “Republican Socialist Lite Party” are spot on.
LibTired on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Is Little Green Footballs down or something?
Rocks on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Fearing how the media might spin this is pointless. Media coverage of Republicans is consistently negative and depends very little on what Republicans say.
zmdavid on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
I’m OK with this.
Truth in advertising…
Fuzzlenutter on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Fantastic. So, in 2010, who are you going to vote for if the choices are R and D?
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Eh, it’s symptomatic of the infighting in the party. Steele is a new face at the level he’s currently operating on, some of the opposition who didn’t want him there in the first place are pushing back. Also, there is a need for a type of truth-in-labeling when addressing the Democrats moves toward Socialism (which Steele does acknowledge, to his credit). This faction is simply overreaching in pursuit of a realistic and understandable goal.
It is dumb, and even if it passes could well fizzle out in a few months. Then it’ll just be a footnote on a memo somewhere.
cs89 on May 13, 2009 at 3:04 PM
This is SOP for the left, and it seems to work for them. Why not take a page from their playbook…
bspoogeferd on May 13, 2009 at 3:04 PM
But they aren’t out and out socialist, in which the government owns the companies. They’re fascist, in which there’s a fig leaf of private corporatism (as long as you do exactly what your Dear Leader tells you) and union ownership of business. It’s the Democratic-Fascist Party.
rbj on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
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Asher on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
“Nationalsozialistische Amerikanische Arbeiterpartei” would be closer, but that’s too dang long to put in advertisements and it doesn’t contain “democrat” anywhere.
Master Shake on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
love it!
http://www.polmachina.com/?p=196
ranchoforte on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Nancy and crew bound out of the white house today happy that they are going to take over a 2.5 TRILLION dollar annual portion of the economy by July 1st (even though they won’t tell us anything about it until it gets to the floor and they demand passage – emergency).
Put it in perspective 2.5 TRILLION dollars is more than the government takes in in tax revenue each year. Yet they are going to happily take it over. Paygo indeed.
They ARE socialists.
ThackerAgency on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Didn’t they do a poll not too long ago saying that a good percentage of ppl in my age group (20-35) thought Socialism was better than capitalism? this is an idiotic idea.
youngO on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Don’t many Democrats already belong to the Democratic Socialists of America, anyway? I think there are a whole bunch of House Democrats affiliated with them – they used to openly list them on their website, then they disappeared the list a while back.
It was exactly those you’d expect.
capitalist piglet on May 13, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Cripes…what’s next?
Standing in a sandbox with a democrat shouting “MY DAD CAN BEAT UP YOUR DAD!”
We all know the dems are sliding into a socialist state.
The trick is not to brand them as such, but to get them to willfully admit that they support this thing called “socialism” even though they recognize the difference between a constitutional republic and a socialist nanny-state.
Talismen on May 13, 2009 at 3:06 PM
If they have the same positions? Neither, what’s the point?
Rocks on May 13, 2009 at 3:06 PM
There are people calling the president “The Precedent” here, I am sure this move will play well with them.
mycowardice on May 13, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Find yourself another blog to read, Percy.
Allahpundit on May 13, 2009 at 3:07 PM
I would prefer it is they focused on getting some decent candidates for 2010.
myrenovations on May 13, 2009 at 3:07 PM
I disagree. It’s time to give them ammo and lots of it. Maybe even shoot some of it ourselves. The media are going to play their underhanded games no matter what Republicans do or say. So stand and fight rather than let them dictate the message of both parties.
I would agree, except
A. Most of these current Republicans aren’t especially for limited government and don’t get it enough to explain it
B. Even if we had some who did get it, you can’t explain it to the masses in soundbites. “We’re going to be just like Russia”, on the other hand, may resonate with some voters.
LibTired on May 13, 2009 at 3:08 PM
At least “freedom fries” was a goof. Much of the joke was that France only warranted a trivial response. This is just so stupid though. Adults seem to have opted out of professional politics.
exception on May 13, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Distraction from the truth that both parties are statists.
PrincipledPilgrim on May 13, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Because the left has the MSM in their pocket?
Knucklehead on May 13, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Allahpundit on May 13, 2009 at 3:07 PM
LOL. A little haughty today Allah eh? I feel you man, that kinda crap can get aggravating after a while
youngO on May 13, 2009 at 3:09 PM
So who’s leading this effort?
radiofreevillage on May 13, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Why can’t the republicans just shut up and allow the democrats to destroy themselves, hell, with obama flip flopping on torture photos, Nancy lying thru her botox, and well, just being themselves, all the republicans need to do is come out there with a plan that the most ignorant koolaid drinking obamam voter can understand and remind the public that the democrats are the party of transparency and ethics…….
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:09 PM
I think Socialcrats is a good new name for the party of fools.
Conservative Ivan on May 13, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Wow thats much better than what they should be doing with our money.
Chuck Schick on May 13, 2009 at 3:10 PM
I;m not exactly sure what’s so bad about socialism. It’s another name for public schools, public roads, public parks, a sefety net for those who have no one else to turn to, and many other things we all want and take for granted. Most of us want a little bit of socialism if we are honest with ourselves.
As for socialism destroying a country, I can’t really think of any specific cases were socialism was the root cause of destruction. Just as I can’t really think of any cases were pure capitalism was the cause.
I would think the RNC trying to brand Democrats as socialists shows that the RNC doesn’t know what that word means. They hope to use it like Communist was used during the Cold War to cast their opposition as being without merit. It will be seen in that light, as it should be.
Viscount_Bolingbroke on May 13, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Yeah, keep snarking at your people. You will end up with Teddy Kennedy’s illigitimate son and stranglet.
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Alright so can somebody on this thread tell me when we’re just going to give up and go galt on the Republican Party?because they are now more than a joke.
youngO on May 13, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Almost cetainly not a fiscal conservative.
exception on May 13, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Barack Hussein Obama.
How’s that staying at home working out for you, idiot?
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:11 PM
death spiral
sesquipedalian on May 13, 2009 at 3:11 PM
I’m not sure Olbermann needs fodder. He’ll find something – anything – and get outraged about that, Sir. Jon Stewart’s a liberal, but he’s not an idiot (unless you find the two synonymous). Olbermann, on the other hand…
YYZ on May 13, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Wow, it’s great to read the comments here and see that some folks actually support this move. Hilarious!
orange on May 13, 2009 at 3:12 PM
I believe your heart and mind are in teh right place, but sorry, that is exactly the wrong direction in 2009 and beyond. Who cares what the media thinks. And the term “limited government” no longer has appeal in America. It just doesn’t.
This may seem perverse – but a great example of how to captivate a message and win people over (sales, revenue in this case) – is Burger King.
In the height of every fat slob group blaming QSR’s – demanding “nutrition info” and lawsuits, Burger King bucked the trend with a) a “creepy” King character and b) with “I am man”, “burger scented calogne” and flat out fatty, unhealthy foods. Know why? Because it was what the majority of American really wanted, regardless of the “anti QSR” nanny groups blaming everyone under the sun. And it worked well. Sales, revenue, merchandise, web hits all skyrocketed.
“limited government” is a tenant of conservatism – but you are expecting people to know what it really means and for many – to get off gov. asst. in various forms.
Remember – Bambi answered Joe the Plumbers question with this gem “I believe in spreading the wealth” – which people ate up, because it “sounds” great, yet is socialism (without saying that key word) Call them socialist because it forces them to explain what they are not. That is a position of weakness. And in MHO will win.
Odie1941 on May 13, 2009 at 3:12 PM
youngO on May 13, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Brainwashed by University Professors (re: hippies from the 60s)
kirkill on May 13, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Here’s what I’d kind of like to know:
Who the hell is running this show?
Obama and company is killing the country, yet most Republicans seem to have the competence of Barney Fife. And the problem is that those in power have the competence of Homer Simpson, the patriotism of Benedict Arnold, and the vindictiveness of Glenn Close’s character in Fatal Attraction.
BuckeyeSam on May 13, 2009 at 3:13 PM
yeah, because we all know how powerful our good friends the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics is doing today. What’s that? You’re going to tell me I mean ‘Russia’ aren’t you?
What do you mean there is no USSR anymore?
ThackerAgency on May 13, 2009 at 3:13 PM
If you’re going to take shots at me, expect shots to be taken back. If you dish it out, you should be able to take it.
Allahpundit on May 13, 2009 at 3:13 PM
Oh, you’re part of the massive Losertarian movement that will break 2% any day now?
Thanks for helping to give us Dem control in DC.
jgapinoy on May 13, 2009 at 3:13 PM
You need a thicker skin, Allah. Want some Midol?
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Sure, its what they are, but I don’t think much mileage will be gotten out of this. If anything, it’ll just serve as something that Democrats can use to convince people Republicans don’t have any real solutions other than name calling. Not that it’ll wash with a lot of voters anyway.
Ryan Gandy on May 13, 2009 at 3:14 PM
By now people have accepted Socialism because it has been repeated enough, and hey, it’s not so bad…. my life hasn’t changed… I can still go play tennis…. it hasn’t put a dent in my manicure or pedicure budget… retirement isn’t here yet and my 401K will come back…
BUT how do people feel about Communism? Is it still a dirty word? I am assuming it is and so that is why I run around town parking in prominent spots with dictionary.com’s definition in enlarged font hanging from my mirror (with the word communism printed in red).
It says:
(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.
PrincipledPilgrim on May 13, 2009 at 3:14 PM
That’s my only quibble with this – the RNC doesn’t need to waste time passing a formal resolution on this.
Nevertheless, I have no problem referring to Democrats as socialists. If nationalizing banks, nationalizing health care, attempting to control executive pay (regardless of whether or not government funds were taken), redistributing huge swaths of income through a “stimulus” plane, etc. etc. etc. is not socialism, then what the hell is it?
thirteen28 on May 13, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Time to join the Galt Party
kirkill on May 13, 2009 at 3:14 PM
We need to offer more than words and branding the opposition. We need to offer our ideas and start forcing our politicians to live by our standards. I heard James Carville on Hannity saying that the Democrats would be screwed with the way they are handling the economy if the Republicans had any credibility left. And he is right, we need to stop Republicans from screwing our party over by not controlling spending, borders, moving left, shrinking Govt. and the list goes on and on. Now don’t get me wrong we should still point out when we disagree with Democrats and tell the country why, in the long run this will help us rebuild credibility, not showing the country that we are name calling children.
SGinNC on May 13, 2009 at 3:16 PM
winner best comment of the day :)
scalleywag on May 13, 2009 at 3:16 PM
I prefer, Rabid Dogs and Traitors
“Socialists” is too kind.
franksalterego on May 13, 2009 at 3:17 PM
With all due respect – why in the hell would you take Carville’s advice for how the Republican party should act, do and behave?
Madness I say, pure madness.
Odie1941 on May 13, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Good point. Doing something official along these lines does seem kind of unserious. Go ahead and us the term unofficially, but don’t go passing a resolution.
Count to 10 on May 13, 2009 at 3:18 PM
TWO hotair posts about the same amazing idea.
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR PARTY AND SUPPORT THIS AWESOME MEASURE
Dave Rywall on May 13, 2009 at 3:18 PM
My skin’s plenty thick per the amount of criticism I take regularly from our readers. It’s the people who snipe at me and then whine when I urge them to move along and find a blog that suits them better who need thicker skin.
Allahpundit on May 13, 2009 at 3:18 PM
I must be missing something…
kirkill on May 13, 2009 at 3:18 PM
Inability to manage the establishment isn’t atypical from people who recognize the establishment is fundamentally flawed and needs to be changed. This shows exactly why the malcontents in the RNC shouldn’t be listened to, as it’s a perfect example how we managed to wind up in the minority despite the unbelievably ridiculous and stupid things the Democrats seek to do. When given a choice between serious discussion and demagoguery, our establishment always chooses demagoguery.
I also think the attacks on Michael Steele are ridiculous. On every important part of his job right now, bringing the coalition back together and raising money, he’s doing a great job. He’s willing to appear like he’s a gaffe artist because he doesn’t give a damn how he looks and when given the choice between making himself look good while driving the anti-Steele base away and making himself look foolish while making the anti-Steele base feel empowered, he’ll pick making the anti-Steele base feel empowered every time.
But anyone who sees merit in the RNC opposition to Steele is like those that saw merit in Mao’s opposition to Deng Xiaoping during the birth pains of capitalism in China.
galenrox on May 13, 2009 at 3:18 PM
About as I expected. With minor variations McCain would be mostly the same.
Rocks on May 13, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Problem is, most Americans are ok with being socialist.
ballz2wallz on May 13, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Yo
He may be an actual cat that can type
but under those cute little paws are big motherfcking claws
so watchaself!
blatantblue on May 13, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Personally, I like it and will start using it whenever the situation presents.
jeanie on May 13, 2009 at 3:19 PM
You sound cranky. Would it help your mood to know that I am a proud member of the FB Allahpundit Fan Club?
HornetSting on May 13, 2009 at 3:20 PM
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