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FDR was a social Democrat: (Original Post) applegrove Saturday OP
Stalin................... Lovie777 Saturday #1
Stalin was his own brand of evil. RandySF Saturday #4
Stalin was not a communist. Just like trump is not a president of the people. erronis Saturday #6
Hence, the WWII term "Allies" (US and USSR) and not "Friends." ColoringFool Yesterday #21
Because Rick said so. RandySF Saturday #2
Yes, he did. He was a mainstream Dem who implemented wnylib Saturday #10
Capitalism needs regulation to maximize benefit the same way nuclear reactors do. Beartracks Saturday #12
Totally agree. wnylib Yesterday #18
The absurd myth that FDR wasn't a capitalist isn't going away. betsuni Yesterday #17
This 'democratic socialist' nonsense is getting ridiculous. J_William_Ryan Saturday #3
The billionaire-owned mass media is to blame Mysterian Yesterday #24
From what Heather Cox Richardson says, Ike and the 1956 Republicans were too. dem4decades Saturday #5
I guarantee you nobody on DU hates social democrats or democratic socialists RandySF Saturday #7
Liberal Democrat here................. Lovie777 Saturday #8
What's a social democrat? Boo1 Saturday #9
That's actually pretty good! calimary Saturday #13
Party parties. Boo1 Yesterday #16
I love parties! SocialDemocrat61 Saturday #14
A famous establishment democratic socialist said Democrats "go to nice cocktail parties and walk out betsuni Yesterday #15
What's a "fiscal conservative?" Mysterian Yesterday #25
Stalin was a communist in the same way Trump is a Christian. johnp3907 Saturday #11
Of course no President is perfect, but FDR is someone who found moral redemption from his battle with polio, Uncle Joe Yesterday #19
De rien Oncle Joe. applegrove Yesterday #20
The Intended Audience? Democrats Need No "Lesson," And..... ColoringFool Yesterday #22
FDR realized capitalism needed a sprinkle of socialism to keep it in check. Emile Yesterday #23
And FDR was a dedicated and effective Antifa leader, too Easterncedar Yesterday #26
The media and much of the political consultancy stress these labels and that's the biggest problem. I really Nanjeanne Yesterday #27

erronis

(24,999 posts)
6. Stalin was not a communist. Just like trump is not a president of the people.
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 09:08 PM
Saturday

They were/are both tyrants interested only in their own personal gratification.

wnylib

(26,844 posts)
10. Yes, he did. He was a mainstream Dem who implemented
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 10:58 PM
Saturday

some programs that socialists wanted. He signed the law to allow collectuve bargaining for unions and signed Social Security into law. He also got Congress to pass anti trust regulations on businesses to prevent monopolies and regulations on Wall Street practices to prevent severe crashes from speculation and from overleveraged banks.

Since the Reagan years, Republicans have consistently chipped away at those regulations. Obama got some reinstated after the 2008 housing market fiasco, but Rs have succeeded in deregulating the market as much as they can so that now we have corporate conglomerate monopolies and violations of insider trading in Congress and the WH without accountability.

Beartracks

(14,755 posts)
12. Capitalism needs regulation to maximize benefit the same way nuclear reactors do.
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 11:37 PM
Saturday

Vastly powerful engine, but needs control and containment so as not to melt down and endanger everything.

===============

betsuni

(29,459 posts)
17. The absurd myth that FDR wasn't a capitalist isn't going away.
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 12:35 AM
Yesterday

The democratic socialist establishment leadership that started the whole myth is talking about more Independent or other third party runs against Democrats to replace them, and I predict third party candidates to harm Democrats in the next presidential election. Their message is to hate Democrats. The BS attacks will be constant, and no matter how often debunked, will keep coming. Sigh. Social media will be flooded with crap. Happy Days Are Here Again. Not.

None of this division and lies are necessary, none of it. Democrats aren't "terrified" or "threatened" by socialists, they don't want to be attacked all the time and slandered as corrupt and immoral "ideologically bankrupt" and standing for nothing and being Republican lite. And they want to win.

J_William_Ryan

(3,660 posts)
3. This 'democratic socialist' nonsense is getting ridiculous.
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 08:52 PM
Saturday

Once again Democrats are needlessly fighting amongst themselves to the benefit of the fascist right.

Once again Democrats are allowing the fascist right to vilify and demonize Democrats with disinformation and lies about ‘socialism’ – just as they have with ‘liberal’ and ‘woke.’

RandySF

(87,997 posts)
7. I guarantee you nobody on DU hates social democrats or democratic socialists
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 09:12 PM
Saturday

but some were flagged for conduct issues.

Lovie777

(24,552 posts)
8. Liberal Democrat here.................
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 09:23 PM
Saturday

Fond of Mamdani, Cooper, Newsom, Brown, Clinton, Biden, Obama, Talarico, et al.,

I've always enjoyed the Big Tent, what the USA is all about.

calimary

(91,502 posts)
13. That's actually pretty good!
Sat Jun 27, 2026, 11:50 PM
Saturday

But then one has to figure out “Whaddya mean ‘parties’? Social? Political? Something else?

betsuni

(29,459 posts)
15. A famous establishment democratic socialist said Democrats "go to nice cocktail parties and walk out
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 12:14 AM
Yesterday

with a hundred thousand dollars ... That's your world." FDR loved cocktails and smoked clams at the end of the day.

Democrats are social party animals!

Uncle Joe

(66,036 posts)
19. Of course no President is perfect, but FDR is someone who found moral redemption from his battle with polio,
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 02:08 AM
Yesterday

and used his hard earned wisdom to become one of our greatest Presidents.

FDR's struggle forced him out of his bubble.

Thanks for the thread applegrove.

ColoringFool

(1,402 posts)
22. The Intended Audience? Democrats Need No "Lesson," And.....
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 04:42 AM
Yesterday

Republicans will loathe FDR if you call him a Social Democrat, a Democrat, or a kumquat!

REPUBLICANS ARE FIRST, FOREMOST, and FOREVER PRO-CAPITAL and PRO-OWNERSHIP OF CAPITAL, and thus ANTI-TAXATION and ANTI-SOCIAL-PROGRAMS.

Their attachment of Christianity to the above is the Great Cognitive Dissonance---or CYNICISM---of the last hundred years, if not of all human history.





Emile

(44,151 posts)
23. FDR realized capitalism needed a sprinkle of socialism to keep it in check.
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 07:46 AM
Yesterday

That made him a man with compassion, and common sense.

A social democrat is an adherent of a political ideology that seeks to reform capitalism through democratic means, establishing a balance between a free-market economy and a comprehensive welfare state. The goal is to reduce inequality and provide universal social programs like public education, healthcare, and pensions.Core Philosophy Social democrats do not seek to abolish capitalism, but rather to heavily regulate it and tax it to ensure that wealth is distributed fairly. They champion "positive liberty"—the idea that people need basic material security and opportunity (such as healthcare and housing) to truly be free.

He never called himself a socialist, but he was willing to adopt socially democratic reforms. That in itself made him one of the greatest presidents in our history.

Easterncedar

(6,657 posts)
26. And FDR was a dedicated and effective Antifa leader, too
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 09:00 AM
Yesterday

And so he will no longer be on the dime....

Nanjeanne

(6,859 posts)
27. The media and much of the political consultancy stress these labels and that's the biggest problem. I really
Sun Jun 28, 2026, 09:26 AM
Yesterday

wish Dem politicians wouldn’t fall into the labeling trap. I care about policies that help the working class and help the poor. And so do most people if given a chance.

In the words of MLK Jr

“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children."

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