https://cdni.rt.com/files/2020.12/xxl/5feaf1002030271d3867af58.JPG

Donald Trump’s former UN envoy Nikki Haley is accused of gaslighting and recycling a worn-out scaremongering trope by declaring ‘socialism’ mainstream and the future ideology of the Democratic Party.

“2020 was the year socialism went mainstream,” the Republican politician tweeted, adding that it was a “dangerous ideology, which has failed everywhere it has been tried & ruined countless lives.”

2020 was the year socialism went mainstream. The dangerous ideology, which has failed everywhere it has been tried & ruined countless lives, is on its way to becoming the default economic policy of the Democratic Party.This terrifying trend threatens the future of every American

With the Biden administration taking the reins, “now is the time to renew the fight for capitalism,” Haley added.

The left believes that government knows best. If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that when govt dictates how the economy is run, Americans suffer. With the Biden admin set to take power, now is the time to renew the fight for capitalism.https://t.co/LTttKqJIZj

The take appears to lump into a single word things as different as publicly funded welfare programs and a full ban of private capital. It also ascribes to the Democratic party a brand of supposedly “radical” ideas, like single-payer healthcare coverage, cancelation of student debts and free college education, which were quashed during the primaries. Unsurprisingly, it was not taken well online.

“I kind of know socialism and I am not seeing anything resembling socialism from our Democratic Party,” responded Martina Navratilova. The veteran tennis star and advocate of LGBT rights had fled to the US from her home country of Czechoslovakia, a member of the Soviet bloc, in 1975.

Can you please give a concrete example? Because I kind of know socialism and I am not seeing anything resembling socialism from our Democratic Party… thank you!

“Socialism” has long been interchangeable with “communism” in US politics and routinely used to tarnish US geopolitical enemies and domestic policies that favor the working class over the interest of the wealthy. Many responses to Haley’s remarks were all about how outdated and untrue the trope was today.

Why don’t you come up with a new scare tactic? The right has been pushing this one since the 50s.

pic.twitter.com/x9L7k60SFA

According to different surveys, younger Americans are increasingly rejecting the negative connotation of “socialism” and see examples of it in Scandinavian Europe, where high taxes are used to fund robust social safety networks. Many consider universal healthcare – a feature that most industrialized countries have and the US lacks – emblematic of socialism.

Please elaborate on how Medicare and Social Security ruined countless lives, Nikki.

Coming amid the worst health and economic crisis that the US has seen in decades, Haley’s criticism seemed particularly disingenuous to many. Especially since her former boss, President Trump, was hardly averse to government handouts, when they suited his policies, like subsidizing farmers hurt by his trade war with China.

Seems like we could use more socialism https://t.co/C5t1UseGax

Yeah, farmers in the Midwest just wanted access to markets, but were instead put on welfare by DT.

Contrary to what Haley suggested, this election cycle the Democratic Party leadership has rejected a path towards some socialist reforms suggested by Bernie Sanders, maneuvering behind the scenes to ensure his defeat in the primary. President-elect Joe Biden is an avowed centrist touting his ability to strike deals with the GOP as a major strength. His proposed cabinet is dominated by corporate-type figures who will likely make good on his campaign pledge that “nothing will fundamentally change” for America.Inc.

The so-called Squad, a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers who are depicted as dangerous radicals by the Republican side, seems content with gradualism, which does not upset the status quo too much. It’s informal leader, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, refused this month to pressure Nancy Pelosi into holding a House vote on Medicare for All, a universal healthcare bill, by leveraging her reelection as speaker.

So, in real life Democrats remained moderate, Haley critics argued. Many Republicans on the other hand failed to challenge Donald Trump’s “authoritarian” tendencies and, according to some responses, “is closer to fascism than the Democratic Party is to adopting socialism”

We elected a moderate and threw out a radical. Get your facts straight, Trikki.What’s terrifying is the attempted rise of the Fascist Fourth Reich in the USA, which you embrace.You are disappointing and scary AF, but I can sleep at night knowing you’ll never be president.✌️

Did they not teach what socialism actually is at Clemson? Today the GOP is closer to fascism than the Democratic Party is to adopting socialism. (This leaves me wondering whether you don’t actually know what it is or do and recognize that you’re using it propagandistically.)

Some suggested that Haley’s attack was simply a pitch for being the GOP nominee for president in 2024.

Nikki Haley thinks she can demagogue her way into the White House while ignoring her own complicity and her party’s corruption. https://t.co/Y6ZxrImJ7i

If you like this story, share it with a friend!