Lerner got me thinking: the Right likes to use Socialist regimes as bogeymen, to fear monger about anything "Liberals" try to do. The favorite one is Venezuela, followed by the good ol' USSR. But it is actually the GOP that acts in ways I still remember as a child in the USSR. Let me explain what I mean. Here is what Texas Gov. Abbott is up to these days: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vows to defund Legislature after voting bill fails | The Texas Tribune Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill to restrict "vaccine passports" | The Texas Tribune Gov. Abbott Orders South Texas Prison To Make Room For Undocumented Immigrants, TDCJ Says – Houston Public Media Abbott Says Texas Will Build Its Own Border Wall – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (nbcdfw.com) As Texas Power Grid Struggles, Gov. Abbot Allots $250 Million In State Funds To Border Wall | HillReporter.com Are these the most pressing priorities for Texas? All remember Texas electrical grid collapse this winter. Well, this is now: Texas power grid operator ERCOT urges conservation to avoid blackouts | The Texas Tribune In other words, state's infrastructure is not ready for the cold weather OR the hot weather. Democracy is supposed to make sure elected officials keep their eye on kitchen table issues like these. But Abbott does not act as if this can affect his re-election in any way. Instead, he keeps laser focus on what the Soviets called "ideological work": just like a district Party Committee or a Party Secretary in charge of a Soviet Republic would do. And sure enough, Comrade Secretary General approves: Donald Trump endorses Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection | The Texas Tribune In short, the GOP, in their strongholds, governs as if democracy is not functioning. As an ideological, extremist party. In short, just like CPSU did, and sort of like the United Russia does right now. So when they try to pin "communism" on to Democrats, are they actually engage in psychological projection?
Is that "communism" or just politics? In a de facto one party state, the primary is the election, you have to accommodate the party's base, not swing voters. That would explain Abbott, but also explain Democratic politicians who run major cities that are in disarray. But I agree with you that "anything we don't like is socialism!" is pretty silly.
It's authoritarian tendencies. The system is such that party's ideological mythology is more important than the economy. I do not see the Dem side as anything near this. Could be proven wrong; give some examples. For one, in NYC Dem mayoral primaries moderate rhetoric seem to work.
