Republicans have a new strategy. Same as the old one. Take a word, any word. Say it sneeringly, and say that Democrats support it, and thus Democrats are bad and you should vote for Republicans because they’re not bad.
So let’s see what the new word is. The old words were “Communist” and then “Liberal”. The new word is… “socialist.”
Hmm. Let’s try that on a millennial:
Republican: “Democrats are for socialist things like a government takeover of healthcare and free college tuition! Democrats want to turn the United States into a socialist nation!”
Millennial: “Wait, healthcare for all is bad? Free college tuition is bad?”
Republican: “Socialism doesn’t work!”
Millennial: “But every other advanced nation has universal healthcare, and most of them have better healthcare outcomes than we do.”
Republican: “It’s socialist! It can’t work!”
Millennial: “But… France? Taiwan? Scandinavia? Germany? Japan?”
Republican: “Those are all failed nations! U S A! U S A! U S A!”
Millennial: “Whatevah. Have a nice day.” Walks off, rolling his/her eyes.
Okay, so that didn’t work out so well, so now let’s try this again. Mr. Republican walks up to another millennial
Republican: “Free college is socialism!”
Millennial: “Okay. And?”
Republican: “Socialism doesn’t work!”
Millennial: “Uhm, most colleges are already public colleges, how can you say they’re not working?”
Republican: “Because socialism!”
Millennial: “Socialism is free tuition for public colleges rather than having to pay tuition to attend them? And that’s going to make them stop working, somehow?”
Republican: “Yes! Because socialism!”
Millennial (rolling eyes). “So how will free tuition versus paid tuition suddenly make public colleges stop working?”
Republican: “Because it’s socialism!”
Millennial: “Whatevah. Have a nice day.” Walks off, rolling his/her eyes.
Hmm. Methinks that labeling free health care and free college tuition as “socialism” isn’t working too well with millennials. They seem to not respond to the same scare words that earlier generations did. So let’s try this again, except throw more scare tactics in:
Republican: “Free health care and free college tuition and a Green New Deal are part of a secret plan to turn the United States into a socialist nation!”
Millennial (rolling eyes): “And?”
Republican: “Socialism doesn’t work! Venezuela! Cuba! North Korea! Booga ooga!”
Millennial: “If socialism gets me health care and college tuition, why should I be scared of it?”
Republican: “Because it’ll turn the United States into Venezuela!”
Millennial: “How?”
Republican: “Because socialism!”
Millennial: “Actually, as a Bernie supporter, I support democratic socialism like practiced in most European countries, not the Communist kind of socialism practiced in the countries you listed…”
Republican: “But socialism doesn’t work!”
Millennial: “It seems to work pretty well for the Scandinavians.”
Republican: “But Americans aren’t Scandinavians!”
Millennial: “You’re saying Americans can’t do democratic socialism as well as the Scandinavians do? You think so badly about your fellow Americans? Man.” Walks away, rolling eyes.
Republican: “Goddamn millennials have no sense. Socialism! Oooga booga! Socialism make hair fall out and feet be hairy! Cuba! North Korea! Venezuela! Ooga booga!”
Millennial, walking away, just shakes head and twirls finger around ear in classic “crazy person over there” symbol.
Hmm… maybe this cunning plan of the Republicans isn’t working so well on a generation that was raised on the Internet and knows how to look up things for themselves? Naw, surely they just need to double down on what’s already not working, and gosh darn it, then it’ll work!
Yeah, it worked so well that there isn’t a single Republican state-wide office holder in the state of California, and Democrats are 2/3rds of the state legislature. Sounds like they “socialism!”‘ed themselves right out of office, at least in California with its young and highly educated population. Go figure.
– Badtux the Snarky “If it doesn’t work the first 1,000 times, do it 1,000 times more!” Penguin
Badtux the Snarky Penguin 
You’re thinking that people THINK.
Sure, there are a lot of decent Americans, especially amongst the younger generations. But there are also a lot of INdecent Amerikans too. The ones whose thinking is muddled by the paranoid conspiracy theory called “religion.” The ones who reflexively revere authoritarianism, who operate on a basis of hate, whose primary desire is to see the powers-that-be deliver a beat-down to the blacks/Mexicans/gays/uppity women etc. who they despise. The ones pissing their pants in fear of SOMETHING (it varies) so they stroke their guns and support anyone who yells about the imaginary threats to take their metalpenises away.
They can be swayed by “socialism-socialism-socialism” even if they don’t fully understand the word. They just know it’s something they don’t like, because the forces they DO like (cough-FuxNooz-cough) have TOLD them to dislike it.
There are probably enough decentOmericans to put a decentPrez in office in 2020. Just as corpObama was elected after satanCheney’s perversidency. Then the humane people get complacent, the raging maggots become energised and Amerika winds up with an oranguspraytan as its tribal chief. Mebbe lots of milquetoast Democrats get elected to legislatures as in 2006, but they don’t do anything to stop the warporate machine. The pendulum swings side-to-side as the edifice of civilisation rolls closer to the cliff edge of environmental collapse. The little people fight about socialism vs. capitalism while the house burns down around them.
As far as California goes, Tux, it’s easy to be distracted by the progressive folks amongst whom you work and live. But don’t forget about the regressives of inland places such as Bakersfield, the rednecks in the northern woods who AREN’T growing weed in their back 40, the ethnic families of recent immigrant heritage, especially various Asian groups, who are susceptible to that anti-socialism call. Cali ain’t all rainbows.
I hope that American political currents will go as you predict. It’s just that the more I see about human nature, the more I perceive that our species is murderous and self-destructive down to the DNA level. We will kill most of our kind at the same time we kill most everything else on the planet. Just ask the Neanderthals, Denisovians, homo Floriensisians, etc. Oh wait, you can’t, because we killed all them them 50,000 year ago! Admittedly, I’m jaded because I spend ⅓ of my waking hours on work days intensely focussed on the mental processes of crazy mofos. That does not lend itself to having a positive view of humanity.
Meanwhile, I think the Republikkkans should start a campaign against those goddamned socialist traffic lights! They’re ROBOTS put there by the GOVERNMENT to CONTROL our FREEDOM of movement! Traffic lights are part of a plot to program people to mindlessly obey government commands! And they force drivers to stare at the colour RED for so long — red, the colour of communism! It’s part of a subliminal mind control psych to make citizens accept socialism and communism, which are the same thing, just like fascism. When will Amerikkkans exercise their 2nd Amendment rights to shoot the shit out of anything that pisses them off, and blow away the overlordevices?!?!
Makes as much sense as most of the other crap that Repigs say…
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Free the Rolling Coal Tru Amurikens from the Commie Traffic Lights!
What happens when a Armed Stand Your Ground American Patriot meets a Rolling Coal Make America Great Again Hero at a signalized intersection? Who makes the first move? For America?
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The person with the most expensive vehicle gets to go first, of course. Having more money (or enough ability to borrow money) is proof of superiority. The Mercedes person’s time is more valuable than the Hyundai driver’s — CAPITALISM! If two vehicles of similar value arrive at an intersection simultaneously, then the right of way goes to whoever is more aggressive or who can point the better assault rifle out their window. FREEDOM! If that does not resolve the issue, there should be “pass your intersection” laws written like there are “stand your ground” ones, making it legal to shoot it out to see who gets to go on their merry way. LIBERTY! I’m seeing a great market for job creators adding armour, Plexiglas, gun ports, etc. to family SUVs for such situations — for everyone who doesn’t want to be a weak gay wimp Democrat who lets other drivers beat them through the crossing. FREE ENTERPRISE!
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For its adherence to treason and rascism and corruption the GOP needs to go to the wall like the Whig party did.
Don’t negotiate with them, replace them. Let them wither away nation wide just like they are doing here in the Golden State.
Goodbye to treasonous rubbish Dana Rohrbacher too, paid Putin whore.
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