@LifeNewsHQ@4ever2runval96 This is inhuman! Where is their humanity? My son was born at 23 weeks gestationally & spent 3 months in the NICU fighting for HIS LIFE! Not my life, his! He is now 21 years old and in college!
Not the way I planned on spending my afternoon, but 7,600 comments should not be ignored! Bots, trolls and personal attacks notwithstanding, the critics of yesterdayās post were dominated by a large and vocal contingent who rushed to remind me that thereās āa difference between socialism and communism,ā an obvious indication that they didnāt actually read the post.
Shelley Armour writes⦠āMike! You know there is a difference between democratic socialism and communism, right?ā
Hi, Shelley. Yes, I know thereās a difference, and I understand what the difference is. The larger point, and the fundamental flaw with your comment, is that you seem to believe the candidates within the Democratic Socialist Party are both ādemocratic and socialist" simply because thatās the name of their club. Well, maybe some of them are. I really couldnāt say. What I can tell you for sure is that more than a few have called for the complete dismantling of capitalism, free markets, representative government, property rights, borders, police, prisons, and the Constitution in general. My post referred to them, as well as a number of elected Democrats who have agreed to campaign on their behalf ā including Gavin Newsom, who said, "The Democratic Party must accept the DSA in order to take back the Congress.ā His words, not mine.
Tracey Steele writesā¦āWow! I cannot believe Mike Rowe said this. He has a huge reach, and he is actually spouting the word ācommunismā like itās the 1950s! Wow Wow Wow!ā
Wow indeed, Tracey, and thanks for noticing the size of my reach! (Contrary to popular belief, size does matter!) To say it again, I am not the one āspoutingā communism or conflating socialists and communists. The word is being āspoutedā by members of the DSA who are using it to describe themselves. I am not accusing them; I am quoting them.
John Engles⦠Hey Rowe, whatās the difference between the Communists who want to run the country and the Nazi/fascist who currently is?
Several differences, John, but the only one relevant to this conversation is the fact that the communists currently running for office have clearly identified themselves as such. They do not dispute or reject the label. They embrace it. It is who they are, who they claim to be, and who they want to be. The president, on the other hand, has never claimed to be a Nazi or a fascist. That doesnāt mean he isn't, but it is worth noting he has rejected the accusation outright. Obviously, you are entitled to that opinion and the right to share it publicly, thanks to our Constitution. Unlike in a fascist, Nazi, or communist regime. (Also worth noting, Nazis and fascists are not the same thing.)
Chris Tomaloff writes⦠āKinda like how the political right didnāt shout down the extreme rhetoric coming from their candidates?ā
No, Chris, not like that at all. In the video I shared, we saw examples of prominent Democrats saying things like, āWe need to elect more communists!ā (Cea Weaver, Director of the NYC Mayorās Office.) Mamdani himself literally tweeted, "Each according to their need, each according to their ability." Thatās a direct quote from the Communist Manifesto.
But what exactly is the corollary from the right? Are prominent Republicans tweeting, āWe need to elect more Nazis! We need to elect more fascists! Eat the poor!ā I donāt think so. John Engles may think Trump is fascist and a Nazi, but Trump disagrees, and so do a majority of voters. Communists, on the other hand, say it loud and say it proud. Iām inclined to take them at their word.
Beto Ojeda⦠āMike has always leaned to the Trumpian view of things but never states it, so as not to alienate anyone, but we know how to read between the lines. This ācommunistā talk is McCarthyism 2.0.ā
I wasnāt around in the 1950s, Beto, but from what Iāve read, it was indeed a very difficult time to be a communist in this country. Lots of private citizens were dragged before Congress, made to take āloyalty oaths," and blacklisted in their places of work. I canāt justify it or condone it, but I can explain it. We had just fought a hot war against fascism and Nazism and just begun a Cold War against a communist regime. The existence of an organized Communist Party in this country at such a time strained the limits of tolerance. But do you really think weāre less tolerant today than we were seventy-five years ago? Do you really believe my comments about communists who claim to be communists are synonymous with another Red Scare? If you havenāt noticed, Chris, no one in the DSA, including the communists, is being dragged before Congress and made to swear a loyalty oath to the Constitution. Today, a communist in America can run for officeā¦with the endorsement of the governor of California! And the tacit approval of a major political party! Seems to me weāre about as far from McCarthyism as we can get.
As for my desire not to alienate anyone, I suppose I am guilty of that. I run a foundation that is open to people of all political beliefs, and weāve assisted lots of Americans who lean to the left. I also know for a fact that many Democrats have supported mikeroweWORKS historically, and I have no desire to run them off. But do you really have to āread between the linesā to understand where Iām coming from?
True, Iāve never endorsed a candidate or publicly encouraged people to vote. But Iāve been very transparent about the fact that Iām a registered Independent who favors policies and programs that often align with conservative principles. Obviously, I would not characterize those conservative principles as āTrumpian,ā because a) they were around long before him, b) Trump is not a conservative, and c) I do not agree with or support everything the President says and does. So, is it possible, Beto, that your accusation is rooted in the fact that I have never publicly denounced the president to your satisfaction? Is it possible you think I'm a Trumper, simply because I've never called him a fascist, or a Nazi, or a liar, or a conman, or a traitor, or whatever else you believe him to be?
Gretchen Seipp⦠Mike, the fact that you still act as though youāre not political after all this time is a bit ridiculous. I still support your work and foundation because I believe in it, but the folksy act has worn thin.
Aw, shucks, Gretchen. Folksy? Lil' ole me?
Honestly, how am I acting as if I am ānot political?ā This entire conversation is the very definition of āpolitical.ā
Christopher Pugh⦠I would have voted for Mike Rowe and Freddie a few years ago before he went full-on MAGA, and Iām all in favor of his project, but itās pretty clear the political direction that heās moved in and the money trail that has influenced it.
Itās Freddy, not Freddie. (I donāt much care, but heās a terrier and particular about such things.) As for the āfull-on MAGAā moniker, is there something I did specifically to earn that designation? Is there some kind of general definition you can share? Or, are you coming from the same place as Beto? Is calling me āFull-On MAGA" your way of saying that Iāve failed to condemn Trump to your satisfaction?
For the record, MRW is supported by liberals and conservatives alike. I have no idea what āmoney trailā you are referring to. Also, regarding my personal politics, think about the implications of what I wrote. I said that the Democrats have been given a gift ā an opportunity to appear reasonable by speaking the truth to their own party, just as Bill Maher has done. All they have to do is distance themselves from candidates who have called for the complete dismantlement of our Constitution. All they have to do is say, āHold on, comrade. Our tent is not that big. We respect your right to hate America, but we donāt want you in our party, and we will not support your candidacy.ā
If they say that, I think a lot of Independents would see them as they see John Fetterman, who has, in the eyes of many voters, become the most ārationalā Democrat currently in office. If they donāt ā if they actually welcome communist candidates into their party ā then Iām afraid the Democrats, by default, will offer the American people a very simple choice in November ā a party that disavows communism vs. a party that doesnāt. I think such a choice would be very positive for Republicans because I donāt think most Americans want to align themselves with a Democratic Party that welcomes communists. The question for you, Chris, is why would a āFull-On MAGAā like me encourage Democrats to act in a way that would disadvantage the Republican Party? And the answer is simple ā itās because I support the existence of a Democratic Party that believes America is still a fundamentally good place.
I think thereās a lot of room for improvement in our country, and I believe the best way to realize those improvements is for Democrats and Republicans to have continuous, robust and public debate about all the issues. But if one of those parties is affirmatively determined to transform our democratic republic into a communist state, then weāre no longer debating the various ways to make our country better; weāre debating the merits of destroying it. And really, whatās the point of tolerating that?
America is already a big tent, filled with hundreds of millions of people with wildly differing views and lots of political parties that represent those views. Weāve got the Green Party, the American Freedom Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Constitution Party, and of course, the Communist Party USA, as well as the Democratic Socialist Party. Americaās tent is so big, we can even tolerate fringe parties like the KKK, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and so forth. Why then, does Gavin Newsom want to make room in the Democratic tent for socialists and communists? Thereās only one reason, and heās already spelled it out for us ā he believes the Democrats need them to win back the Congress. I think itās a bad bet for the Democrats and for America. And if a prominent Republican reached out to the KKK with the same ābig tentā offer, youād better believe my vote would be in play.
Michael Tillman⦠When are you going to throw your hat into the ring, Mr. Rowe?
Ha! When it no longer fits my head!
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Donāt throw away the leftover whey! Itās packed with protein and makes incredible pancakes, bread, or smoothies.
Once you try it, youāll never want the packaged stuff again.