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So your argument is:
Yes Bernie, the defacto thought leader of the "normal" left wing in the United States, has offered wide support for the USSR, Venezula, Cuba and other Socialists dictatorships; but he's never explicitly said that we should become authoritarians; he's just supported the policies, outcomes and goals of the nations that left wing authoritarians have built. So it's completely unreasonable for Centrits in America to worry that he'd support a left wing authoritarian?
No, your interpretation is reactionary.
Think about it like this. Most people think boy scouts in the US are a good thing right? Let's say we didn't have boy scouts. And some guy said, "Hey, Nazi Germany had boy scouts and that did a lot of good things, and some bad things. Let's make something like that, but not do the bad stuff". Using your logic, you would say, "This guy is a Nazi because boy scouts are a Nazi thing and this will lead the US to become fascist and authoritarian". But the thing is, you can create boy scouts without the fascism. Just like you can create single payer health care without an authoritarian leader, and you can create high literacy rates without being communist or whatever Cuba was.
I mean, if you can explain how single payer health care and literacy programs lead to authoritarian outcomes. I am very interested in hearing about that because I can't see it.
P.S. I don't think Bernie is the defacto though leader of the "normal" left wing, but I think he is close enough.
Think about it like this. Most people think boy scouts in the US are a good thing right? Let's say we didn't have boy scouts. And some guy said, "Hey, Nazi Germany had boy scouts and that did a lot of good things, and some bad things. Let's make something like that, but not do the bad stuff". Using your logic, you would say, "This guy is a Nazi because boy scouts are a Nazi thing and this will lead the US to become fascist and authoritarian"
What if the guy trying to set up the Boy Scouts regularly called themselves a fascist? Bernie, AOC and others in that sphere have "leaned in" to the Socialist label. Using your logic if a Fascist was like those "Nazi's Boy Scouts did good shit we should do that same shit." Would you consider it reasonable to worry about that movement becoming more widely fascist?
I mean, if you can explain how single payer health care and literacy programs lead to authoritarian outcomes. I am very interested in hearing about that because I can't see it.
Remember when Bernie was the Senate's overviewer of the VA, the largest Single Payer Healthcare system in North America? And he called reports given to his office of the wait list scandal (where the VA would internationally and systemically let vets die without care to avoid caring for them) a right wing conspiracy and dismissed them. Which prolonged the time before the scandal was dealt with.
That immediate belief that "things that go against my world view are anti-socialist conspiracies" is exactly the pattern that causes the societal decline in Socialist societies. And that's the mindset that causes those societies to jail and punish people bringing complaints or opposing views rather than attempting to improve their societies.
So it's not, single payer healthcare causes authoritarian societies. It's centralized control of formerly private production administered by people with a Socialist mindset causes increasingly authoritarian societies.
What if the guy trying to set up the Boy Scouts regularly called themselves a fascist?
Well, if they called themselves a fascist or did things with fascist outcomes I would be very concerned. I would probably try to vote that guy out or try some other way to get them removed and hope someone else could create a boy scouts program with out being fascist.
Remember when Bernie was the Senate’s overviewer of the VA, the largest Single Payer Healthcare system in North America? And he called reports given to his office of the wait list scandal (where the VA would internationally and systemically let vets die without care to avoid caring for them) a right wing conspiracy and dismissed them. Which prolonged the time before the scandal was dealt with.
Is your position that Bernie hates all US Vets and wants them to die? If so, how does killing vets help get the US to socialism? If anything, it makes Bernie look really bad.
So it’s not, single payer healthcare causes authoritarian societies. It’s centralized control of formerly private production administered by people with a Socialist mindset causes increasingly authoritarian societies.
How does centralized control government control of things result in authoritarian societies? I would agree with you, if we didn't have a democracy, is that what you are getting at?
Well, if they called themselves a fascist or did things with fascist outcomes I would be very concerned. I would probably try to vote that guy out or try some other way to get them removed and hope someone else could create a boy scouts program with out being fascist.
In this instance, the people doing the needful are calling themselves socialists.Hence the reason the centrists are concerned.
Is your position that Bernie hates all US Vets and wants them to die? If so, how does killing vets help get the US to socialism? If anything, it makes Bernie look really bad.
My point is that Bernie believes in socialism so much that he's willing to ignore US Vets dying
How does centralized control government control of things result in authoritarian societies? I would agree with you, if we didn’t have a democracy, is that what you are getting at?
Centralizing control centralizes control. It creates one single point of failure to create an authoritarian society. Venezuela is currently experiencing how well democracies protect from authoritarians.
My point is that Bernie believes in socialism so much that he’s willing to ignore US Vets dying
If Bernie cared about socialism so much he wouldn't have ignored the US Vets dying. That made him and anything he stood for look really bad, if anything you could say that Bernie doing this was an OP against leftism.
Centralizing control centralizes control. It creates one single point of failure to create an authoritarian society. Venezuela is currently experiencing how well democracies protect from authoritarians.
Ok, so it sounds like your definition of authoritarian is any power given to any government. You don't just have a problem with socialism. You have a problem with democracy as well.
So then do you dislike everyone? Leftists, Centrists, and Conservatives? Democrats, Republicans, and Liberals? Are these all authoritarians?
If Bernie cared about socialism so much he wouldn't have ignored the US Vets dying. That made him and anything he stood for look really bad, if anything you could say that Bernie doing this was an OP against leftism.
Sander's is likely the most sincere public figure in his support of his policies. It's clear to me, and everyone who watches him (even those who are in opposition to him) that he truly cares and believes in the causes he supports. Especially those that are part of his core platform.
If your plan is to "no true Scotsman" Sanders I can assure you that not only is that an "incorrect" position to have; but it's absolutely not one that will be seen as believable by the Centrists in the top level meme.
Ok, so it sounds like your definition of authoritarian is any power given to any government. You don't just have a problem with socialism.
Every form of government comes with a risk of an Authoritarian takeover. Certain actions (like centralization vs. decentralization being just one of many things that helps decide that). But Socialism explicitly calls for creating a heavily centralize givernment that makes it very straightforward for a dictatorship to arise. Quashing the sort of dissent needed to avoid dictatorship and even going as far as endorsing the idea of a "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" to modify society into the ideal Communist population.
In a sense you're correct that I have problems with most forms of governence when evaluating the chance of an authoritarian taking over. But Socialism endorses that so it's pretty well at the top of the list.