By Tom Motko (September 18, 2015)
As a democratic socialist of many years myself, this graphic demonstrates my issue with many Bernie Sanders supporters who seem to want to run from socialism although their candidate happens to be a socialist (Democratic Party supporters/members who are themselves pro-capitalist but find the Clinton gang distasteful).
These pretend democratic socialists wish to redefine democratic socialism (which actually proposes a democratic political system and a socialist economic system and WHICH OPPOSES CAPITALISM) as “still a capitalist” because they’re afraid of socialism and want to hammer it into something like a softer betrayal of the people than the traditional Democrats and the Republicans typically foist on us.
With this graphic, they pretend democratic socialism isn’t socialism at all and instead try to establish “social democracy” as “democratic socialism” which is simply an untruth. Social democracy accepts but seeks to reform capitalism; the vast majority of us democratic socialists view this as both practical and ethical nonsense.
Anyone who claims that democratic socialists are actually pro-capitalism is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. Unless, of course, that person’s actually a Democratic Party loyalist in which case it’s just the reverse: A sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Social democracy and democratic socialism are not the same thing. The graphic is dishonest and is a form of backdoor red-baiting and/or denial.