The Quiet Radical. Part 1

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama presented himself a moderate centrist to the American people. He courted the middle class sounding very much like a financial conservative, promising tax cuts for 95% of the electorate. Many took him prima facie. In fact, a few well-known conservative pundits applauded Obama’s intellect and ensured that he would govern as a centrist. That was 9 months ago.

Lately, there has been a rising tide of critics asserting that the Obama Administration’s policies are fundamentally rooted in Socialism. The President is endeavoring to remake America into something not yet fully disclosed or realized. The President’s actions have led to the most unprecedented expansion of federal power in the history of the United States. The U.S. government is now the primary stockholder in General Motors. It has a minority stock position in Chrysler as well. After infusing $6.6 Billion into Chrysler’s bankruptcy proceedings, the government awarded 55% of the stock to the Retired Autoworkers Union. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, both Government Sponsored Enterprises, own the majority of home mortgages in the United States. In a few short months, we have nationalized the banking, mortgage and automotive industries. The government’s control into the private financial sector is growing at an alarming rate.

There are many Americans who believe that there is something more sinister at play than just politics as usual. You can see the discontent manifesting itself at town hall meetings all across the land. Americans are demanding to be heard and their opposition to socialized universal health care is nothing less than the defense of individual liberty and freedom.

In the United States, the vast majority of the electorate unilaterally rejects the politics of Marxism and Socialism. The American people have been conditioned to react negatively to the notion that a centrally controlled economy can create social and economic justice for all its citizens through the redistribution of wealth. Marxism defines the struggles of class warfare and seeks to remedy the inequities of circumstance through governmental policies and institution. The Marxist notion of a socialist government can be surmised with the well-known phrase, “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”. Socialism has been proven on the world stage to be a dismal failure. As such, Marxism must be disguised.

By it’s very definition, Marxism is diametrically opposed to Capitalism. In his book, Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinky wrote:

A Marxist begins with his prime truth that all evils are caused by the exploitation of the proletariat by the capitalists. From this he logically proceeds to the revolution to end capitalism, then into the third stage of reorganization into a new social order of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and finally the last stage -- the political paradise of communism.

For most Americans, a Marxist is a radical with an extreme agenda whose aim is to dismantle and destroy the capitalist system and displace it with a centrally controlled economy. The American people reject this radicalism and rightfully so. Is Barack Obama really a Marxist?

Barack Obama is articulate, personable and very intelligent. He is engaging, thoughtful and compassionate. These are hardly the qualities of a radical Marxist whose aim is too destroy the fundamental underpinnings of American society. Obama, after all, loves the country and is simply too mainstream America to be a radical Marxist.

Still the charges persist in the never-ending onslaught of accusations and criticisms from conservatives and independents alike. They berate Obama’s past as a community organizer in Chicago. What exactly is a community organizer and what is his purpose? To answer this question, we refer to Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals where he writes, “From the moment the organizer enters a community he lives, dreams... only one thing and that is to build the mass power base of what he calls the army.”

Alinsky goes on to describe the function of the organizer, “The first step in community organization is community disorganization. An organizer must stir up dissatisfaction and discontent… agitate to the point of conflict”. By it’s very definition, a community organizer seeks to dismantle and destroy their communities to make room for the new organization of the society.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, many Americans dismiss the claim that Barack Obama is an avowed leftist bent on radical, sweeping change. Classified as cable chatter, the critics’ revelation of Obama’s far left ideology is often met with indignant surprise. A denial fueled by the belief that it is simply impossible for Obama to be as radical as it is claimed. Yet, his entire economic policy is predicated on the acceptance of the inherent inequity of the capitalist system. The wealthiest Americans should pay more because they have more. The poor should be given more, in the forms of tax credits and programs, because they have less. Even those that do not earn enough to actually pay taxes should be given a tax rebate in the name of fairness. That is compassion. That is social justice. What can be more American? It is clear that the basis of Obama’s economic theories have their roots in the prime axiom of Marxism: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”

Obama is an exceptionally gifted politician. He seeks to elevate political discourse and society to new heights, promising to end divisiveness. Yet, when we listen to his own words on taxes, he tells us that 95% of the American people will receive tax cuts; thus, leaving the remaining 5% to shoulder their fair share of the burden. How can anyone possibly argue that this tax policy is radical? Consider this. Even if taken at face value, that only 5% of the wealthiest Americans would be required to pay more taxes under his plan, this is an obvious attempt to pit one economic class against another. Class envy and warfare are primary concerns of Marxist ideology.