The Time Capsule: Capitalism: A thing of the past?
A couple of weeks ago on this page our editor cited some of his acquaintances who believed the re-election of President Obama put this country over the edge. Mr. Orear argued that one person, one election, couldn’t be so devastating.
I agree—getting to this point has taken a string of bad actors and a huge supporting cast.
That our nation has taken the road it has, brings, to this grumpy, aging Capitalist, a measure of sadness. Others, however, are overjoyed. If there’s a hereafter I expect Norman Thomas, Eugene Debs and Upton Sinclair are doing the hokey-pokey, high fives and cartwheels.
They worked all their lives for this, predicted it at a time when it seemed impossible. They have every reason to celebrate.
Thomas, you will recall, picked up where Debs left off. He was the Socialist party’s standard-bearer during the 1930s and 40s. He was the Presidential nominee of the Socialist party six times. A like-minded contemporary, Upton Sinclair, was a writer and political activist. Both came to understand that running on the Socialist ticket was a losing proposition. The same policies, though, when advocated by a different party, won votes. Thomas allegedly remarked that under the guise of liberalism our nation would incrementally move into Socialism, arriving there without realizing how it happened. While there’s some argument as to whether he put it in those words, the sentiment was his.
Nearly a century ago Sinclair, as the Socialist candidate, ran for Congress in New Jersey. Practically no one voted for him. In the 1920s, he ran for several offices in California, losing badly each time. In 1926, he was the Socialist party’s candidate for governor, finishing far behind. In 1934, he switched parties and again ran for governor. He received 60,000 votes as a Socialist. Advocating the same programs, but doing so as a Democrat, earned him 879,537.
The experience prompted him to pen a letter to Norman Thomas. Sinclair wrote American people would accept Socialism, but would not take the label. He continued, saying there was “no use attacking them by a front attack, it is much better to outflank them.”
Capitalism has been outflanked. Obama promised to fundamentally change this nation. He has. Now he has four more years to finish the job and, without re-election concerns to keep him in check, he will.
Capitalism seeks prosperity, Socialism equity—the kind of equity that says you didn’t build that; it belongs to all of us. Ballooning an already out-of-control national debt, which Obama plans to continue, to fuel skyrocketing welfare and dependency programs, also in his plan, is building a house of cards. Ask Greece.
One thing we can rely on: when things get worse Conservative Republicans will be blamed. Never mind that liberals control the White House, the Senate, occupy all the key appointed positions as czars and department heads, own the mainstream media, Hollywood and pretty much have their way with the Supreme Court.
They’ve established the agenda and set the course. For four years their hand has been firmly on the throttle and will be for years to come. But rest assured when the train jumps the track all fingers will point toward a handful of Conservatives. The lament will be that they should have, like, you know, done a better job of working with us.
Roy Marshall is a local historian and columnist for the Red Oak Express. He can be contacted at news@redoakexpress.com.