President Obama Honors Honorary Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny



President Obama has awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dolores Huerta. Ms. Huerta, co founder of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez, and a Honorary Chair of Democratic Socialists of America was also given credit by the President for his 2008 campaign slogan, "yes we can."

The Heritage Foundation - President Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday to Dolores Huerta, an 82-year-old labor activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union.

Huerta is also an honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA describes itself as “the largest socialist organization in the United States, and the principal U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International.”

Huerta has claimed, “Republicans hate Latinos,” and has spoken fondly of Hugo Chavez’s despotic regime in Venezuela. Some of her more radical comments were captured in this audio clip:



Despite her apparent radicalism, Huerta has received accolades from top administration officials, including Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. She is now the recipient of the nation’s highest civilian honor – one of 14 individuals to receive the medal Tuesday at the White House.

I am sure the President wished to recognize Ms. Huerta for her tireless work in organizing Mexican American farm workers, thus helping to improve their lot in life. However what I found most compelling is the fact she is an avowed and active socialist. Something the President of this capitalist nation was undoubtedly aware of.

It is also my considered view, and I acknowledge I could be mistaken, the President is likely aware of the following; taken from the DSoA preamble.

The globalization of capital requires a renewed vision and tactics. But the essence of the socialist vision--that people can freely and democratically control their community and society--remains central to the movement for radical democracy. Those who point to the collapse of communist regimes, for which the rhetoric of socialism became a cover for authoritarian rule, as proof that capitalism is the foundation of democracy, commit fraud on history. The struggle for mass democracy has always been led by the excluded -- workers, minorities, and women. The wealthy almost never join in unless their own economic freedom appears at stake. The equation of capitalism with democracy cannot survive scrutiny in a world where untrammeled capitalism means unrelenting poverty, disease, and unemployment.

In this new economic order where sweatshops and child labor are on the rise and capital is freed from historic national constraints, American movements for social justice must of necessity adopt the internationalism of the socialist tradition. Just as Eugene Debs said, "While there is a soul in prison, I am not free" and Martin Luther King proclaimed that, "A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," we must pledge to forge a new international solidarity based the spirit of the abolitionists and suffragists, the labor, peace, and civil rights movements, of modern feminism and environmentalism.

We are socialists because we reject an international economic order sustained by private profit...

We are socialists because we share a vision of a humane international social order based both on democratic planning and market mechanisms to achieve equitable distribution of resources...

Democratic socialists are dedicated to building truly international social movements - of unionists, environmentalists...

In the United States, we must fight for a humane public policies that will provide quality health care, education, and job training and that redirect public investment from the military to much-neglected urban housing and infrastructure. Such policies require the support of a majoritarian coalition of trade unionists, people of color, feminists, gays and lesbians and all other peoples committed to democratic change. Our greatest contribution as American socialists to global social justice is to build that coalition, which is key to transforming the power relations of global capitalism.

And there my fellow libertarians, classical liberals, rational conservatives, rational liberals, and all other Americans who understand that a true capitalist society, one that did exist in the USA was responsible for elevating the standard of living of this nation to the highest in the world. It was not socialism that did this, nor will it ever be a majoritarian democratically planned economy and social order that will achieve and maintain the greatest prosperity for the greatest number.

That is what worries me about this President. He seems at the very least to be sympathetic to the goals of the DSoA, if not outright supportive. I hope I am wrong about both.

Via: Memeorandum

Comments

  1. what i have never understood is how a person can believe that any system of economics without profit can be sustainable as socialism requires.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've pondered this for years griper. I have yet to come up with a logicl answer.

      Delete
  2. Do we fight for money, or people?
    Communal taxation and social programs have helped build our great society. Learn how to separate Socialism from social good. Understand that what's good for the worker, is good for America. Understand that Americans in vast majority have supported (voted for) that kind of government (a government FOR and BY the people) since the beginning of our country. Our Constitution doesn't just protect the rights of those who have them (like the founding fathers) but instructs that ALL people must be afforded the same rights, which was not the case when the Constitution was written. What you call "radicals" are people fighting to ensure more Americans have those rights and can participate in the opportunity of a better life; something the Constitution aims to do. Abolitionists were called radicals. Radical means what to you? Workers want to form a union to better their lot, and you define that as unamerican, or an attack on capitalism? BS. People wanting to better themselves, is not a danger to capitalists, or capitalism, it is the promise of the Constitution. There is an old saying, "Every once in a while Socialism has to step in to save capitalism." It does not refer to a Stalinist type government, but the acknowledgement that we can not build a great society alone, or without regard to peoples right to better themselves. What FDR did was exactly what we needed at the time, and it worked. There is not one solution for every problem, and different actions work better in different times. If capitalists won't invest in America (which is what we need and not getting) then the people must invest in America, or we will never get out of this cycle headed towards bankruptcy. It's telling (negatively) that you so quickly pass over her life's work to help better people lives, and use her as an excuse to incorrectly infer Obama is a Socialist. Obama is one of the most conservative Democrats, that has ever been elected president, which is why many liberals will not vote for him. If he losses the election, it won't be because Americans think he is a Socialist, or that Romney (and the Ryan budget) is better for America, but because he is to conservative for many liberals. "Starve the beast" has not worked. The beast is us and what we want our government to do for us. Money greases the wheel (especially in a capitalist society) yet we won't even pay a little extra to ensure stability in our system, when our parents and grandparents spilled their blood to ensure peace and stability, then taxed themselves at a very high rate, because they understood maintaining the best country, is expensive.
    This is my liberal thinking, not an attack. I'll leave attacks on you to those who best attack people, closed minded, non-compromising, dictatorial, conservatives. Today's Republicans.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh c'mon, Les. Why'd you take it there?

    She's a brave, smart, productive human being who has positively touched many lives. She hasn't bothered you. So she's a "socialist." Who the hell cares?

    I used to comment on a popular Republican blog, a pretty big-time GOP blogger out of L.A., and I remember when he pointed out that, in the case of the NFL, "socialism" actually worked pretty well, and in provable fact, made all the teams, players, and everyone else involved, a lot of fame and fortune.

    Sometimes, in some cases, socialism works out well for all - and sometimes it doesn't.

    Replace the word "socialism" with pretty much whatever "ism" you want, and the same can be said.

    JMJ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took it there because, in my view, assuming I am allowed the right to have a view, it needed to go there.

      There may be A better mousetrap than capitalism but to date no one has found it. History bears this out.

      But I respect your opinion, and good luck on trying to build that better mousetrap.

      Delete
  4. I guess that I'll give Mr. Obama the benefit of the doubt on this one, too. Presidents need to compartmentalize and here's to hoping that maybe this is yet another example of that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In this instance Will I believe you're being too kind to the President.

      Delete
    2. Every once in a while I try to cut him some slack (possibly just to prove to myself that I can do it).

      Delete

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