Whatever Became of Socialism? (National radio commentary, Salem/Townhall) July 8, 2020
Posted by daviddavenport in Op/Eds.trackback
With the news dominated by Covid-19 and racial injustice, you might not remember one of the big stories of the past year: the rise of socialism. Previously a dirty word, socialism became popular among young people and polled well with Democrats.
But now we hear nothing about socialism. Bernie Sanders is gone and the Green New Deal has gone silent.
The fact is, young people were never interested in formal socialism. The same polls showing their attraction to it also showed they prefer a market economy over government control. They really didn’t want socialism, but free stuff: free college tuition, forgiven student loans, help with expensive housing and maybe a guaranteed income.
That agenda is now, quietly, Joe Biden’s platform, without the socialism name. He has embraced versions of all that and more. He is the candidate of free … and expensive … stuff.
To listen to the audio:
David Davenport 