The right’s real fear of ‘socialism’

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who’s running for president and identifies as a “socialist,” has much of the conservative movement in a tizzy. As a result, it’s trying to hang the rest of the Democratic Party as pushing “socialism” (though more of a “democratic socialism” that prevails in Europe).

But there’s a reason for that. Those folks who say that oppose such are really saying something else — that they alone are entitled to what they have, primarily power, whether political or social, and don’t intend to share that with those they deem “inferior.”

In other words, what they really oppose is justice for the poor. Yes, they do.

And this goes back to the 1940s, with Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” which was branded socialist but which FDR understood was needed to stave off a bigger problem — the widespread economic insecurity created by the Great Depression that resulted in Marxism, which he absolutely opposed, in much of Europe. Nevertheless, industry groups, feeling put upon by the administration because of an extremely high tax rate, forged an alliance with conservative religious groups to promote business activity as next to godliness. Have you noticed over the years that the “religious right” has always maintained a pro-business stance? That’s where it comes from.

Anyway, the Word of God mentions justice — and, in its context, it’s always “social justice” because it’s always collective and never merely individual — 150 times. It also mentions empowerment of the poor over 2,000 times, the second-largest theme in the Bible next to the worship of God. But many of those references are found in the Prophets, most notably in Isaiah, Amos and Micah, and the Epistle of James, which many evangelicals simply don’t read, which is why they dispute their presence.

It’s one reason many ignored or opposed the civil-rights movement, which came out of the conservative black church, saying then that God isn’t too concerned about social issues. They also deny the idea of “structural racism,” insisting that if people of color and those of lesser means simply played by the rules they would benefit. Ironically, many supporters of President Donald Trump complain that “the system is rigged,” which is why they voted for him in the first place.

What’s wrong with this picture? You would think that, rather than blaming the poor and powerless, they would seek them as allies and take their complaints to the top. Martin Luther King Jr., during one of his incarcerations, made that point — after hearing from some of his jailers that they felt that the system was screwing them, as well he said, in effect, “You ought to be with us.” And the big shots would fear that kind of alliance, which is why they’ve tried to keep people divided along race and class lines.

And that’s precisely why the fears of “socialism” don't register with me. Depending on who’s ox is being gored, everyone’s a socialist.