Campaign Trail

Here comes the 'S' word

• Matthew Price
• 22 Oct 08, 05:31 AM GMT

What is it about the concept of "socialism" in this country?

McCain continues to talk about Obama "spreading the wealth", which I understand as a political tactic might be effective, but the snide way in which some of his supporters shout "SOCIALIST!" after McCain mentions Obama's name is fascinating.

Earlier today, outside the latest McCain rally near Pittsburgh, there was a group of young Obama supporters waving their posters and chanting their candidate's name. A McCain supporter walking past shouted "Communists!" to the joy of the other McCain followers.

Why?

This isn't an attack against McCain, or Republicans.

I'm just interested in why a country that prides itself on openness, that believes in freedom of speech, that has always generated new and fresh ideas of its own, can (in general, and I know I'm close to stereotyping here) be so fearful of such an idea.

In Europe, socialism is not liked by everyone (nor even a majority in many places), but it is accepted as a valid political philosophy. And yes, you'd have people shouting socialist at the odd Labour political candidate in the UK, but not, I believe, with the same venom.

There seems to me to be a genuine misunderstanding here about what is and what is not socialism.

Many here that I meet tell me the health care system in the UK is socialist and therefore bad. There are bad things about health care in the UK, but there are many good things, and anyway it's not a socialist system.

And "spreading the wealth" isn't necessarily socialism. It's what governments do with your taxes all the time. It's about roads, and schools and hospitals and helping individuals who can't help themselves.

I remember a journey I did with a truck driver once, from Nebraska to LA. We were discussing the hard life a truck driver has in this country, how the hours are long, the pay not good, the conditions bad.

Why do you put up with it, I wondered? "Well we couldn't do like the French do, blocking the roads, that just wouldn't be American," he replied.

I told him how I imagined the French drivers have better holiday entitlements, how they have perhaps better pay, and the like.

He snorted, but the next day he came back to me on it. He'd spoken to his union rep, and he'd been told that indeed the French do have better working conditions. He said he'd have to think about it a bit more.

I wonder if in the US people have been told for so long that individuals make their own success, that everyone can live the American Dream if they (personally) work hard enough, that they have become selfish as a society?

The reason I'm wondering is not - I promise - due to any deep-seated prejudice, and I also promise that I am wondering about this, I haven't come to any conclusions.

This is all partly because of what a car mechanic in Ohio said to me the other day: "It's all about me, me, me in this country now. It never used to be like that."

Is this why "socialism" is a bad word? Because it implies giving someone a free ride, and that (for many) is a non-American (US) concept?

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