Participating in this year's Independence Day parade (my first in decades, since I left the Boy Scouts) included so many unexpectedly inspiring aspects: the wild applause, cheering, whistling, even people rushing out into the street for a selfie with our own Ms. Liberty - Amy, you're a rock star! There was one off note, which I only heard about later, however, that happened as we were setting up to start. Reportedly, someone came up and said, "Aren't you embarrassed to be a Democrat"? I believe the response was a simple "no", maybe with a half-chuckle and shake of the head, obvious and correct, but it got me thinking.
If I were embarrassed about anything, it might be our inability to get across the message in the comparison chart below, between the US (capitalist) and Norway (democratic socialist). And sure, the chart is a bit polemical and not exactly fair, but most Democrats seem to have a hard time defending “socialism”, especially as the Left is starting to embrace it, even with plenty of good arguments at hand. Medicare, hello? Social Security? Public schools, transportation, science... Not to mention the Administration’s recent adventures in acquiring an ownership “stake” in key corporations - how "capitalist" is that?
What are we scared of, Donald Trump calling US communists?