Republicans just love calling President Joe Biden a “socialist.” Democrats who could easily point to President Donald Trump’s own record of “socialist” views and actions in how he turned government into a repository of subsidies for groups and industries that supported him, opt not to do so for whatever reason (perhaps it’s because some young voters who the Democrats are chasing actually like the term “socialist?”). Here at TFS we are not bound by such rules or niceties and will use the term as we see fit.

Now, I actually do not have a problem with the term “socialist” and in fact my late Grandfather was a prominent socialist who rose to be a Supreme Court Justice in India. But, I do have a problem with the term being used as antisemitic code as it often has been used on the right through the years and today it’s used as a scare tactic to conjure up all sorts of scary images. And I have a problem with those who practice forms of socialism or benefit from elements of socialism using it as a scare tactic which the right is in overdrive on this year.

This week, the Florida Legislature will undertake a form of government overreach rarely seen in the history of our state. SB 2B/HB 1B will make it impossible for employers to regulate their workplaces and places of business to meet the public health standards they may desire in the midst of a global pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). The pandemic has not lifted and while COVID numbers have receded in Florida after a gruesome summer, Florida’s GOP leaders want to make sure they use the death and devastation of the last 18 months to full advantage in a naked power grab. It is the legislature and Governor that will decide how each individual business regulates its workplace, not the actual business if this legislation passes (as it surely will).

If you don’t believe me that what we are seeing from Republicans in this state constitutes a form of socialism, leave it to former Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough. He said it best about what is happening here in Florida on MSNBC, a few months ago:

“(Governor Ron DeSantis) Sounds like a socialist to me,” the Morning Joe co-host proclaimed, “When you’re a governor of a state, and you’re telling businesses, small businesses that they can’t run their businesses the way they want to run their businesses, to keep their stores safe, the way they think they can keep their stores safe, and also when you’re telling local school boards, banning them from taking safety measures in their own areas.”

Joe Scarborough on MSNBC August 2021

“Florida is like five different states, so go tell somebody in Broward county, a local school board in Broward county, that they must do the same thing that happens in Walton county, ten hours, twelve hours away, it’s just ridiculous big government, one size fits all socialism. It doesn’t make any sense.

Joe Scarborough on MSNBC August 2021

We will keep close tabs on Special Session aka Florida GOP Socialist Week here at TFS.