Fox’s Shannon Bream tried to play a game of gotcha’ with Gov. Tim Walz on the definition of “socialism” and it didn’t go so well. Republicans constantly intermingle the terms socialism, communism, Marxism, etc. to go after Democrats knowing full well their MAGA meathead audience either doesn’t know or care about what the actual definitions of any of them are.
They all love so-called “socialism” when it comes to Social Security, Medicare, disaster relief, having the roads maintained that they’re going to drive on, and so on. Good for Walz for making it clear that most Americans actually like and want what Trump and the right keep attacking as “socialism.”
BREAM: You’ve moved to the left. I think that is fair to say. Here’s what The Intelligencer says, that “Walz had a fairly conservative voting record in Congress, where he represented a red district. He used that record to win the governorship and then moved sharply left.”
Here’s something that you said weeks ago.
(VIDEO CLIP) WALZ: Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.
BREAM: Okay, so Merriam-Webster dictionary on socialism says it’s “a system of society or group living in which there’s no private property.” Or this, “ a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the states.”
Did you mean to advocate for that here in the US?
WALZ: No, Shannon, look I’m a capitalist. What I was making the point of is, Republicans oftentimes talk about socialism and what I would make the case of is we build our roads collectively together.
I don’t think anybody’s arguing that you should have to build your own road from your house to your business place or whatever. So I said this definition that the right uses about this, things that we collectively do together that, look I believe in moral capitalism.
I believe capitalism works and it lifts everyone up, but I also believe you have to make sure that there’s things that we collectively together. We educate our children by using our public schools. We build roads. We do some of the things like public health, where we work together.
So the point being on this is, of trying to divide that, but you certainly can’t have a capitalism that says billionaires get everything and the middle class gets nothing. And I think Kamala Harris’s point on this is, lifting up the middle class, making an opportunity economy, making housing affordable, making drug prices more affordable.
That’s what we’re talking about. And so I said, don’t listen to them tell you that these things that we can do together, but also we want people to succeed, and when you succeed all we’re asking is that you pay your fair share.
I’m excited when people become… if they make it their business grows they become wealthy that’s fine. Just pay your fair share and then all of us do better.
BREAM: Okay, so the word, did you not mean to use the word socialism? Was it a knucklehead thing, or did you mean to use it?
WALZ: No! It was it was it was what the right uses… that there… would you describe, Shannon, and your viewers that building roads is socialism?
BREAM: No, but that’s also not the government controlling all property and means of funding those roads… and taking, that you don’t have your private funds. Although people would argue about taxes. Some people feel it’s confiscatory.
WALZ: No, we made no we made no…. look, the point being is, as Donald Trump says that this is a socialist or Marxist government Kamala Harris is actually doing just the opposite of that, and creating a free economy that works and people can grow into the middle class So I think the argument here is is that just trying to blanket over… most people recognize that the Infrastructure Act is creating massive private wealth because of building that out together.
And that’s what Kamala Harris has done, understanding that the things that government should do government can do. The things the private sector can do they should. That’s big difference from Donald Trump skewing things towards the wealthy.
Don’t expect it to make a dent on the lemmings who believe Fox is “news,” but it’s good to see some push-back on this nonsense for once.
