House Resolution Denouncing Socialism Distracts from GOP’s Real Authoritarian Agenda

Tim Libretti, PhD
5 min readFeb 17, 2023
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Recently House Republicans introduced a resolution that “denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America.” The bill passed on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 328–86–14. 109 Democrats voted in favor of the resolution.

The resolution identified socialism as some kind of clear and present danger to American democracy, asserting that “socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and time again collapsed into Communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships.”

The resolution has the feel of a carnival barker or con man who distracts your attention while picking your pocket — or worse. Pay no attention to the dead man on the wall.

It needs to be noted that when Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) sought to clarify the resolution with an amendment including language that programs like Medicare and Social Security are not to be considered socialist, his amendment was denied by the Republican majority.

Indeed, regardless of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s insistence that cuts to Social Security and Medicare are not on the table when it comes to discussions regarding the debt ceiling, these programs are certainly on the chopping block for…

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Tim Libretti, PhD
Tim Libretti, PhD

Written by Tim Libretti, PhD

Professor of Literature, Political Economy enthusiast, Dad, always thinking about the optimal world