Words matter, especially for the emotions of politics. Trigger words can evoke powerful emotions that decide votes. Decades ago, Sen. Joe McCarthy terrorized Americans by lumping pacifists, social justice advocates, labor leaders, liberals, socialists, and American communists with foreign “communist” regimes. An ember of McCarthyism smoldered in the GOP until MAGA fanned new life into it.
During the 20th century, various American socialist-communist movements gained followers through social justice advocacy, but few Americans favored violent revolutions or total governmental control. After our government acted to integrate the military and schools, democratize civil rights and voter rights, and upgrade women’s rights, domestic communism faded away.
Internationally, violent Marxist revolutions overthrew governments and installed brutally repressive regimes, but failed to establish one-class communism. “Communist” nations are frauds. Every “communist” country features a stratification of classes and oligarchic-authoritarian leaders like regimes of the extreme right. Although strictly controlled, “communist” China has a thriving capitalistic economy. Authoritarians, foreign and domestic (including Donald Trump), threaten to destroy democracy.
Today’s mainstream Democrats are similar to mid-20th century Republicans, but dishonest MAGA Republicans attempt to falsely link Democrats with “communism” and stolen elections to evoke a visceral vote. May reason prevail.
