Assignment #8-Michael Kirschbaum

The article "It's not about socialism, it's about rescuing capitalism", written by Harold Meyerson first appeared in The Washington Post. In the article, Meyerson attempts to debunk the myths created by conservatives in regard to the political aims of President Obama and his advocates. Meyerson asserts that the exaggerated claim "We are all socialists now" simply doesn't match the fact that only a small minority of Americans endorse a socialist state. Such claims are put forward by conservative Republicans who, seeing everything in opposite extremes, tend to give rise to sensationalist media. Meyerson defines the middle ground by pointing out Obama's plan to add some regulation to a disorderly form of capitalism. Once the government has created a footing, it can then let off, allowing the economy to settle back into another phase of strong competition, as was the case during Roosevelt's presidency. So while the political state may be leaning more toward socialism than it has in the last thirties years, such government regulation is necessary to prompt a revitalized phase of capitalism, a seeming contradiction which conservatives can never seem to grasp the concept of.