Sleeve,
It wasn't the "American Communist Party" but in fact it was "Communist Party USA" (CPUSA) trivial point maybe but for the record. The so-called endorsement was made on July 16, 2008' in an op-ed on the CPUSA website entitled
"Eye on the Prize". If you actually read the op-ed, there was no official endorsement of Obama but rather a comparison of Obama to McCain and which one in a sense would be the lesser evil from their POV. In fact the op-ed starts out, "Barrack Obama is not a left candidate." and contrary to the spin of some, CPUSA is actually correct in this case. What CPUSA did with Obama is IMO no different that what the Tea Party did recently in saying that even if Romney gets the nod, the Tea Party still supports the republican. Just as the CPUSA said, "it's anyone but McCain eg republican" so to has the Tea Party said "anybody but Obama eg democrat!"
Democrats IMO are disingenuous when they scream about the "Koch Bros." owned Tea Party movement or even several beltway libertarian organizations and not that those charges aren't true and do have merit. Where they come off disingenuous is the fact while screaming about Koch money in the so-called republican circles, they completely ignore the Koch money in democrat circles. Here's just a
tip of the iceberg. You don't for a minute think that the plutocracy don't play both sides do you?
As for Obama being a socialist? Not in the real classical left tradition but I would agree he is more in a rightist tradition but using seeming left wordspeak. If "neo" means new then yes Obama is another "new con" just the same. His words say left but his actions show right and his corporatist agenda and the expansion of the authority state bare this out. I use Karl Hess's
linear model as a measure instead of the traditional circle or horseshoe method.
But as Obama and the democrats are socialists, so too are republicans and their Presidents as well. There may be small differences in applications and serving some interests but in the overall larger goal, both parties serve the exact same ideal towards it's ends. The chief reason no matter which side wins on election day that gov't grows bigger and life for us gets worse.
The sad part of the democrat party is it's strong and once proud Jeffersonian traditions that prior to late 19th and specifically early 20th century democrats starting to abandon those ideals and really become Hamiltonian republicans by another name. Democrats would do well to learn history and recapture the real Jeffersonian spirit. 19th century socialist/anarchist Benjamin Tucker once said:
Name me a "conservative republican" who dares to talk like this admitted socialist!
Democrats who have a good heart and know regardless who sits in power, something ain't right should become to some measure unterrified Jeffersonian democrats again!
I said it before and I'll say it again, what is happening with the election of Obama IMO is nothing short of the opening scene in Blazing Saddles with the handcart and the quicksand. Unlike Black Bart however, Obama is paid well to not pull himself out from sinking sand and putting the shovel upside the head of those pulling the strings!
Sad part is we lack the courage to push the whole lot into the quicksand and let them all sink and then pick up the pieces again afterwards and start over.