European Socialists eager to work with U.S. Democrats

[seriousstan]

OPORTO, Portugal (Reuters) - European Socialists promised on Thursday to work to rebuild Europe's strategic alliance with the United States now that the Democrats control Congress after last month's elections.

Socialist leaders attending a meeting of the European Socialist Party pledged that with the Democrats on the rise, strong ties could be renewed with the United States after years of cool relations with Republican President George W. Bush.

Howard Dean, chairman of the national committee of the U.S. Democratic Party, is attending the two-day conference together with the leaders of leftist governments of several countries and party leaders from across Europe.

"We are not anti-American, we want the real America, your America," former Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the European Socialist Party, said in remarks directed at Dean.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-12-07T204342Z_01_L0796336_RTRUKOC_0_US-EUROPE-SOCIALISTS-US.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

[One_Life_To_Give]

1. That title will play well with the right

The Commies are coming, the commies are coming!

[cali]

2. Let them fret and fuss and howl.

Good to see Dean't over there, hopefully taking a step to repare the enormous damage wrought by georgie.

[superconnected]

11. I have a feeling it's supposed to.

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. Brilliant! Just brilliant. Maybe, God willing, they'll think of the ravaged moonscape

of Blair's Britain, and try to get some sense into his benighted scone.

[thingfisher]

4. Socialism is still a dirty word in America, unfortunately!!!

Here is a chance for the Democrats to make some headway in repairing our international relations. many European countries have successfully incorporated socialist ideas within their political systems with good results.
In America though socialism is the brother of communism and will not be tolerated. The ruling elites saw to that in the early deacades of the 20th century even though most of the progressive reforms of that era came about in large part due to the efforts of "socialist" activists (we prefer to think of the as progressives - which term today seems to also carry a taint about it since so few are willing to whole heartedly embrace the label. "moderate" anyone?).
We seems condemned to wind our way throught he gloom clinging to the 2 parties both of which are way too beholden to special interests (ie corporate America) to advocate the really potent change that is needed by our sick republic (is it still a republic, really?).

[Demeter]

5. Unless It's Corporate, Political, or Military Socialism

then it's okay. Just don't let the peasantry in on the deal.

[Joe Chi Minh]

9. Yes, whatever was said about Communism, I've always thought the

murderous Communism of the rich agaisnt the poor was by far the greater crime. And will be viewed as such on Judgment Day.

[Steepler0t]

12. How true

This is my favorite line of the day from DU :spray:

[TomClash]

14. Beat me to it! nt

[TomClash]

13. A dirty word unless the adjective preceding it is "Corporate" nt

[Katzenjammer]

6. I'm not sure there is a socialist "socialist party" in Europe any more.

Remember that Blair's Labour party is nominally socialist.

[gorbal]

8. I hear they are planning on being socialist again.

They are sick of Blair' pandering to Bush in the UK.

Europeans have a more complex understanding of Socialism than we do in america. We hear the 's' word and we instantly leave the room so as not to be seen with it. In Europe they differentuate between different KINDS of socialiam.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

7. The key point of this article is that over half of Europe thinks

we have gone off our rocker. Now the wingnuts will say we don't care what any commies think but they fail to understand that the world is becoming a much smaller place and at some point we are going to have to learn how to get along with people. Otherwise we will eventually find ourself locked out in the cold.

[xchrom]

10. good. now we can get back to the business of being friends with our friends again.

[ryanmuegge]

15. With OUR party of "Democrats"? Yeah, right.

The Clintonista Democrats in this country only work with Lockheed-Martin.

[Voltaire99]

16. Heh.

"The real America"?

Oh, brother. Rasmussen is reaching here. There is no "real" America, and even if there were, our duopoly politics would hardly be its face.

[madfloridian]

17. Good for Howard Dean for doing this.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/752


Dean in Portugal at the conference.
Howard Dean, U.S. Democratic National Committee chairman, laughs with Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, right, Party of European Socialists president, after his speech during the Party of European Socialists congress in Porto, northern Portugal, Friday, Dec. 8, 2006.(AP Photo/Paulo Duarte)

Seems like some in this thread would be afraid to talk to this party because the right wing here doesn't like them.

They hold or share power in over half of Europe. I say good for him for reaching out.



Howard Dean and French presidential candidate, Segolene Royal.

[madfloridian]

18. And with Italy's Romano Prodi. Pics and captions.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/757