Friday, August 20, 2010
Chicagoland / Politics / Clout City "How Many Socialists Sit in Congress Today?"
Posted by Lauri Apple on 08.20.10 at 02:22 PM
WND points to this October 2009 "Democratic Socialists of America newsletter", which llists six Illinois reps—Danny Davis, Luis Gutierrez, Phil Hare, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bobby Rush, and Jan Schakowsky—as 'THE SOCIALIST IN ELECTED OFFICE TODAY." There's just one small problem: the newsletter is a fake.
A few elements tip off the observant reader. At the top of the page is the header "American Socialist Voter," and at the bottom, the url for that group's website. Its "Demographics" section is empty and cites "unknown" information—wouldn't the DSA have those numbers and reproduce them for its members, instead of publishing blank spaces? The list of names of supposed DSA members in Congress is actually a copy of the Progressive Caucus's membership rolls. And the newsletter Q&A is "completely fictitious," says DSA national director Frank Llewellyn.
"This is a new formulation of a charge that's been going around for years," Llewellyn says. "It all stems from the fact that for a brief time shortly after the Progressive Caucus was formed, we had posted their member list on our website. Right-wingers doing research found themselves coming to our website, because the Caucus didn't have one, and lights went off in their heads." To his recollection, the last paying member of the DSA to serve in Congress was Brooklyn-based Major Owens, who retired from Congress in 2007.
Doing its part, American Socialist Voter—a "network" for socialist discussion and information—has posted on its website a picture of Joe McCarthy with a message to "all the Republican & Tea Party pundits and bloggers" addressing the phony newsletter. "The list of 70 names does not belong to any socialist organization," the ASV website says. "It was quoted from the Progressive Caucus which to any right-winger is too liberal. For socialists it is too liberal in the other direction."
Well, maybe too liberal for American Socialist Voter. The Democratic Socialists of America, on the other hand, has friendly relationships with many caucus members. Bob Roman, editor of the local DSA chapter's New Ground newsletter, says members of the Chicago delegation have attended DSA dinners and other events, and that the chapter is generally "supportive" of the caucus. "Some conservatives have trouble wrapping their heads around the fact that the DSA is a loose organization," he says. "If people are not inclined to do something, they don't do it." And that includes signing up, apparently.
Comments (4)
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"There's just one small problem: the newsletter is a fake."
No problem.
For WorldNetDaily, fake isn't a bug, it's a feature.
-- MrJM
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"Lights went off" in right-wingers' heads......
That happened quite a while back. I blame Lee Atwater's tumor.
Listen; neither the Left, Right, or even the Center is truly progressive! I'll inform you who and what is truly progressive! It's Henry George! you become a follower of Henry George and all of you become my constituents, because I want to run as the Independent Write-In-candidate for Governor of Illinois! And remember! Theres only 66 days left you have to campaign really, really, REALLY hard, extremely hard for me, and my fellow Georgists throughout the State of Illinois, and I'll give you freedom from stupid, conniving, back-stabbing conventional politicians, and dirty, conniving, robbing and stealing land-owner-holder-tenur-ers! OK? Is it a deal?! Thanks! Oh, by-the-way! I will try extremely hard not to be a politician! I will try extremely hard to be a stateman! Thats what we all want and need statesmen and stateswomen!
