If I Were King

Two of my friends (my "amen corner") disagreed with me when I said that President Obama was not a socialist. Since I am not the type to think I cannot be wrong, I looked into it. I don't have an answer.

There are a whole bunch of folks, starting with the president, who will tell you "No, he is not a socialist." Multiple articles from multiple sources with multiple agendas all argue that he is not. Socialists themselves won't accept him as a socialist. On the other hand, some voices are making good arguments to the contrary. He may deny it and they may deny it, but if it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck ... well, you get the idea.

My friend, Dan, pointed out, "If the president were king instead, I'm sure his socialist worldview would be evident." In truth, I cannot know. (Hey, I have a hard time figuring out what my own worldview is, let alone what it would be given different circumstances.) But I understand his perspective there. You see, I've often wondered (not broadly, but in specific circumstances) what I would do if I were king. I'm sure I'm not alone. My grandfather, for instance, told me years ago, "If I were king, I could put an end to the drug dealing problem. I'd just order public executions of all drug dealers. It would end quickly." Maybe it would and maybe it wouldn't, but you could see how my grandfather viewed things "if I were king". Me? While I love our country and I believe this is likely the best country in which to currently live, I'm not so sure, if I were king, if I would keep it like it is. I'm not so sure, for instance, that a democracy is the best choice for people so willing to discard community and morality in preference for pure self-interest. Maybe a benevolent dictatorship would be better. I'm not so sure that taxation is the way I'd do it if I were king. I'm not at all sure that I wouldn't change some things in the justice system especially. I particularly dislike the notion of genuine criminals getting off on a technicality. For instance, if a police officer did an illegal search and turned up solid evidence, I wouldn't delete the evidence; I'd prosecute the police officer (after convicting the criminal). So there are lots of things I'd do different ... if I were king.

Is President Obama a socialist? I don't know. I do know that "socialism" is a bad word these days. I know that throwing the word out in public is like throwing out a stick of dynamite. It will cause an explosion ... from those for and those against. I do know that labeling the president "socialist" will terminate a lot of conversations. And I know that what I support now and what I would do if I were king are different. So I suppose I'll just avoid the conflagration and say that the president is not operating as a socialist ... completely.