Is Obama a socialist? The experts laughed

Angela Sarlay, who chairs the Socialist Party USA's Dallas-Fort Worth chapter, and state party chairman Alex Mendoza say they spend a lot of time educating others on what their philosophy of “democratic socialism” is — and isn’t. “I thought: ‘Harold Simmons doesn’t know what socialism is,' " Sarlay said of the recent interview in which the Dallas billionaire referred to President Barack Obama as "that socialist."

The Dallas Morning News:

Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons recently gave a rare interview to The Wall Street Journal and branded Obama “the most dangerous American alive” and someone who “would eliminate free enterprise in this country.”

Simmons referred to the president as “that socialist.”

It first struck me as more of the far right’s rush toward absurdity — and not very flattering for either Simmons or our city.

But then I wondered: What do socialists themselves have to say? Is Obama one of them?

“No, no,” said Angela Sarlay, chair of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Socialist Party USA.

“Absolutely not,” agreed Alex Mendoza, a local member and state chairman of the Socialist Party of Texas.

I visited with them at Sarlay’s home in Rowlett. And that was a surprise. I didn’t know where socialists might live, but hadn’t figured on Rowlett.

Sarlay is a 39-year-old systems analyst and divorced mother of four. Mendoza, 34, lives in Lewisville. He’s a former Marine and the married father of one, with another due this week. He owns an environmentally friendly landscape company, Clean Air Lawncare.

Mendoza said he has to laugh when people refer to Obama as a socialist. Mendoza says he became a socialist precisely because Obama is so not a socialist.

Specifically, Mendoza cites the president’s health care plan as more of a gift to insurance companies than a move toward universal care. Then there were the corporate bailouts. And the stepped-up military action in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

“He even extended the Bush tax cuts,” Mendoza said. “I don’t even see any socialist characteristics in him.”

Ah, yes. But of course they would say that. Maybe Obama is a secret socialist. Sarlay laughed and said, “I see the membership roll. He’s not on it.” (The Texas roll is relatively tiny, at 118.)

I asked for her reaction to Simmons’ recent comments. She said, “I thought: ‘Harold Simmons doesn’t know what socialism is.’ ”

Sarlay and Mendoza said they spend a lot of time educating others about what their brand of socialism is — and what it’s not (communism).

They refer to their political philosophy as “democratic socialism.”

“First and foremost, we believe in democracy,” Mendoza said. “This is not about decision-making from the top down. It’s about collaborating and making decisions from the ground up.”

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