With the 2012 Presidential elections only a few months away, it’s become obvious that the word ‘socialist’ doesn’t sit well with almost sixty percent of Americans, and could cost him a second term.
Probably the question that has been asked is whether Obama is a socialist, and most people consider this word to be a weapon used by fanatics against the President. Yet there are experts that are of the opinion that the President is indeed operating within the guidelines of contemporary socialism.
Some of the most important aspects of socialism such as being a welfare state, supporting education, collective responsibility, redistribution of wealth, the environment, the regulation of market forces among others, and which are the guiding principles of the Party of European Socialists that was made public in the November 2011 Declaration.
Obama supports all these principles through his actions and words, and while he might not admit to being a socialist, the signs all point to his Presidency working according to the aforementioned principles. In fact, if he had to be rated by European Socialists, he would get a perfect score, according to some and his political views and programs as revealed to the public are evidence of that.
Yet a counterpoint might be that Republicans are also in favor of Social Security and progressive income tax but what some experts believe is that under the guise of noble aims, Obama wishes to control the state through the private sector.
With the United States founded on the principles that people should not be controlled by a powerful state, it seems as if the country’s foundations are being threatened at the very moment.