HuffPo Historian: Obama is Not a Socialist, Obama is a Socialist

From Van Gosse at the Huffington Post:

Fox News relentlessly sounds this chorus, and some Americans agree, rallying with posters featuring hammer-and-sickle drawings and pictures of Stalin next to our elected leader. For the rest of the world, this sounds pretty silly: they know what socialism looks like, and we have nothing like it . . . [but on the other hand] . . .

From this perspective, President Obama may indeed have socialist tendencies, if we consider guaranteed employment, free health care, free education at all levels and strong government participation in the economy as steps in that direction. Given the disorder, rapacity and corruption of what passes for capitalism in this country, many Americans who have never considered themselves "on the left" may end up thinking "bring it on."