Why is it that anyone who disagrees with a Republican is a communist?

[Rocknrule]

(Or a socialist)

Seriously, that term/insult is SO 1950.

I'm guessing it's because "communist" and "socialist" are the only words they know with more than 2 syllables.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Because it's easy...No thinking involved.

[progressoid]

21. Yep - and it works too. n/t

[Kurovski]

They're manipulating and controlling the big stupid part in a persons head.

[readmoreoften]

2. Eisenhower is far, far to the economic left of almost all Democrats.

So even founding Republicans are communists.

[LiberalLoner]

3. Your post contains the clue - "so 1950." At least from what I have seen,

every single person tossing around the word "communist" at me was either raised as a child during the 1950's or was a young adult (20's, 30's) during the 1950's.

I think the younger generations (people aged, say, 40 or younger) have fewer people who see socialism or communism as the ultimate evil.

[PDJane]

9. I was a child during the 1950's.

As much as I've heard about communism, I can't think it's much worse than the things that the US has done and is doing to its own people. And, of course, I am a socialist, because socialism is an economic model that works better than capitalism does.

But then, I'm a Canadian, and we didn't have the same kind of brainwashing and propaganda that the US was subject to. We knew, for the most part, that Russia was NOT a threat to the west.

[RKP5637]

12. That's all we heard in the 50's, communists and the Russians are coming. Many saw

the reality of what was going on in later years, for many it stuck. And the Joseph McCarthy trials sure did reinforce it ...

[mysuzuki2]

4. because people who are not smart enough to defend

their position based on reason and logic always resort to name calling. It is the weapon of last (first?) resort of intellectually lazy people.

[Ken Burch]

5. Because it worked in 1947 and it's never STOPPED working

Why would they give up what works for them?

(they KNOW it's bullshit, but they don't care)

[mmonk]

6. Its been that way with the right about as long as I can remember.

We were called that in the late 60's, through the 70's, and on up to today. And when I was too young to remember (in the 50's) or knew too little to be aware.

[Sheepshank]

7. the word du jour is definitely "socialist"

as if it were a bad thing haa haa

[Blue-Jay]

8. I'd admit to being a socialist, but not a commie.

There's a very distinct difference.

[Zanzoobar]

10. I've never been called a communist

Though I regularly disagree with Republicans.

Your experience is largely related to your limited interaction on the WWW.

[RKP5637]

11. Stereotyping and labeling, guidelines the ignorant follow, it requires no thinking and

works well for RW propagandists. Often they mix in some bible thumping with it, motherhood and apple pie. Many people are easily led, you just need to identify key words and pair that with your objective. They will follow.

[Bozita]

13. If they don't resort to name-calling, they're not REAL GOPers.

Beware of imitation Republicons.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

14. They Keep Using Those Words

I do not think those words mean what they think they mean.

[leftstreet]

16. InconCEIVable !! n/t

[HughBeaumont]

15. Likely because of their petulant and bitter need to always have some enemy to cling to.

If not Muslims, Hollywood or gay people, it's “Reds undah th’ bed".

The words themselves really should have no emotional significance to anyone under the age of 45 at this point.

Also, is it hilarious to anyone else that they find a system of economics “evil”? Here’s another point that was brought up before, I forget where: If conservatives hate communism SO much, then why are they so supportive of the type of economic system that led to its rise?

[LiberalLoner]

17. LOL - awesome point! +1,000 n/t

[Canuckistanian]

18. They've run out of scary tactics for older Americans

AQ or the Taliban doesn't scare them any more. So the filthy hippies are the next boogie man.

It worked in the 70's.

[Canuckistanian]

19. They've run out of scary tactics for older Americans

AQ or the Taliban doesn't scare them any more. So the filthy hippies are the next boogie man.

It worked in the 70's.

[USA_1]

20. Republican Wall Street = Commie Financiers

[gratuitous]

22. Because they haven't had an original thought since the 1930s?

Luckily, we don't have a functional Fourth Estate in this country, so Republicans' unbridled nitwittery just goes on and on.

[LiberalLoner]

23. You know what I am seeing...maybe I'm wrong...but it seems to me the right-wing is

really concentrating primarily on older (over the age of 50) primarily caucasian voters.

I really don't see them even trying to reach out to the younger voters or non-white voters.

It seems to me they are just putting all their eggs in one basket, maybe hoping for a dictatorship?

Surely even they (as stupid as they can be sometimes) know the demographics don't favor them in the long run.

So the question becomes, why are they putting all their eggs in that one basket? Why do they not care that in ten or twenty years, they will have very few true believers or voters?

Is it because they are planning on stealing all elections in the future? Or do they think a dictatorship will already be in place by then, no problem?

I really do wonder...