Steele And Socialism

Last week I argued that conservatives should abandon their silly effort to peg Democrats as socialists.

This is a strategy to repel, not attract, new voters. It is the conservative equivalent of the “Democratic wing of the Democratic Party” branding the Bush Administration fascist. Regardless of their academic merit, these ideological histrionics get you nowhere with voters who do not spend every waking minute listening to talk radio, watching cable news, or thinking about politics (which would be most voters) .

Yet today we learn that calling Democrats socialists will soon be official Republican policy.

In special session next week, the RNC will approve a resolution rebranding the Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”

And the slide toward irrelevance continues.

Michael Steele, who has had a rough go of it with conservatives, should be commended for resisting this fringe effort. According to Roger Simon of Politico, Steele wrote in a memorandum last month that the resolution “will accomplish little than to give the media and our opponents the opportunity to mischaracterize Republicans.”

No doubt Hannity and Levin will be pleased with this latest move from the RNC. But with this issue, the Chairman is spot on.