Watch Your Mouth

 

Welcome to the campaign season. An estimated $11.6 billion is expected to be dropped on the 2026 mid-term political elections. Are these ad buys effective? Not on me. The deluge is mostly filled with vitriol with a tiny bit of fact and a preponderance of fiction, politely referred to as "alternative facts". I find most of them deliberately misleading and made worse by a recent innovation - profanity.  And you should not rely on the publisher to fact check, because they don't. TV and radio ads must be run even if the station knows the content to be false. And Facebook says "why should we"? Commercial advertising is governed by the FCC but political ads are exempt. 

Candidates seem to hold little respect for we, the lowly voter, apparently confident that will will accept unquestioned the sound bites all the while knowing that when the shouting and voting are over, the grandiose promises will find the dustbin. Sadly, a candidate actually presenting their position on issues is quite rare. It would be a nice innovation.

So, as a public service, I offer up some definitions for terms candidates throw around to disparage each other, terms most people have no clear understanding of. 

Fascist

This is the go-to label for anyone with views to the right of mine.

What is it?  Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian political system led by a dictator who holds total power and promotes extreme national pride.

The major characteristics of fascism are:

1. The rejection of democracy, the rule of law and equal rights under the law in favor of a strongman who interprets the popular will. 
2. The galvanizing of popular rage against cultural elites.
3. Nationalism based on a dominant “superior” race and historic bloodlines.
4. Extolling brute strength and heroic warriors.
5. Disdain of women and fear of non-standard gender identities or sexual orientation.

Communist

This is the go-to label for anyone with views to the left of mine.

What is it?  Communism is a political and economic system that aims to build a classless society where major property, factories, and resources are owned by the public rather than private individuals

The major characteristics are:

1. Collective ownership of the means of production
2. Abolition of private property
3. Centralized political power
4. Centralized economic planning
5. Repression of individual rights. Government control of most aspects of individual life. 

Socialist

This go-to label for anyone who believes government should provide aid to the poor of the population.  

What is it?  Socialism is a political and economic system that aims to build a classless society where major property, factories, and resources are owned by the public rather than private individuals. 

The major characteristics are:

1. Public ownership of major industries and means of production by the community, workers and state
2. Wealth and goods are allocated toward the public good

I believe there are few Americans who accept this philosophy.

But the US government has long had programs that directly aid various segments of the population. Depending where you are on the political spectrum, you might label them "socialist". But almost everyone is a beneficiary of a government program.  

Few object to these government subsidies:

• Farm subsidies.
• Social Security & Medicare.
• Veterans benefits and VA hospitals.
• Unemployment insurance.
• Public education and libraries.
• Public parks.
• Roads and transit.
• Police & Fire departments.
• Child labor laws.

Other subsidies break on partisan lines.

• Government subsidies for oil companies and the military industrial complex.
• Corporate and wealthy tax breaks.
• Tax increment financing.
• Subsidized health insurance. 
• Public housing. 
• SNAP & WIC benefits. 
• Pell grants and student aid. 
• General assistance or most any flavor of government payment to individuals. 
• Anything someone else is getting that I'm not. 

The much disparaged "Social Democracy", is a variation in which is capitalism is augmented with a social safety net. The basic tenets are that no one should go bankrupt for being sick or lose health care coverage when you are laid off your job, that everybody can have an education, that no one is left to live on the streets.  Not so extreme or radical in my mind.

So - democrat with a small d

And so we come to what we say we are, a democracy - actually "representative democracy". (In a true democracy, everyone would vote on everything, a bit unmanageable, so we elect representatives to speak for us, who do so with various degrees of effectiveness.)

This is the go-to label we should all aspire to.

What we claim to be. 

A democracy is a system of government where power is vested in the people. The US model is representative democracy where power is exercised through freely elected representatives. The characteristics of a democracy are:  (Key principles from Gemini)

• Free, Fair, and Frequent Elections: Citizens choose their leaders through competitive, transparent elections held at regular intervals, where every eligible vote carries equal weight.
• Citizen Participation: Citizens actively engage in political life not only by voting, but also by debating public issues, running for office, participating in community organizations, and protesting peacefully.
• Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: A democracy safeguards essential civil liberties for all individuals, including freedom of speech, expression, assembly, association, religion, and the press.
• Rule of Law: All citizens, officials, and government bodies are subject to the same laws, which are enforced fairly, consistently, and impartially through an independent judiciary.
• Separation of Powers & Checks and Balances: Government authority is divided among distinct branches (typically executive, legislative, and judicial) to prevent any single institution or person from concentrating total control.
• Majority Rule with Minority Rights: While majoritarian principles guide legislative decisions, constitutional guarantees prevent the majority from oppressing or disenfranchising political, ethnic, or social minorities.
• Multi-Party Political System: Citizens have meaningful choices between competing political parties representing different policies, values, and visions for governance.
• Government Accountability and Transparency: Public officials must account for their decisions and actions, supported by open government records and an active, independent free press.

How do you think we're doing?

Copyright © 2026  Dave Hoplin