John Thune

Mr. President, Claims · 83 wordsthere is no doubt that the Democrat Party has moved sharply left in recent years, Unearned certaintybut this election cycle has seen the Democrat Party take a big step further toward full-blown socialism. New York City’s new Democrat mayor, a self-proclaimed Democrat socialist, might be the most notable example, ¹but he is far from alone. Around the country, socialists have been winning Democrat primaries, and it is no exaggeration to say that socialism is rapidly gaining a prominent new role in the Democrat Party.Unearned certainty Procedure · 17 wordsSo let’s talk a little bit about socialism and the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America.Procedure Claims · 76 wordsWhen you look at the platform, right away, you see some predictable things; namely, government control of almost everything. Healthcare, business, housing, education, energy-- all of these sectors would come under government control in a democratic socialist state. And when I say ``government control,’’ I don’t just mean they would be hit with a lot of regulations; I mean government control. Government would become the ultimate decisionmaker for American families in most aspects of their life. Procedure · 13 wordsTake healthcare, for example. We often talk about the doctor-patient relationship in medicine.Procedure Claims · 74 wordsWell, under democratic socialism, that would be a lot more like the government-patient relationship. It is the government that would decide what healthcare Americans are eligible for, what medications they can take, and when and where they are able to access care. Americans place a high value on choice and freedom, but freedom and choice do not last very long when government takes over, and under democratic socialism, government would be truly taking over. Procedure · 43 wordsI could dedicate a whole speech to what happens when government takes control of the economy and the means of production and of healthcare and education and energy. But there is more to the Democratic Socialist platform that I want to talk about.Procedure Aside · 10 wordsI guess I have to hand it to Democratic Socialists.Aside Claims · 116 wordsDespite their plan for government takeover of most aspects of American life, they do have a couple of cuts on the table. But the nature of those cuts is a big problem. Democratic Socialists would like to defund the Pentagon; they would like to abolish immigration enforcement; and they would like to eliminate the police. That is right. The official platform--the official platform of the Democratic Socialists states that their goal is to ``demilitarize police departments, disempower police unions, ²and redirect funding to public services as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system.’’ Think about that: ``as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system’’--the official platform of the Democratic Socialists of America. Positioning · 14 wordsI don’t think I need to explain to anyone just how unhinged that is.PositioningUnearned certainty Aside · 28 wordsIf anyone thinks we can keep our communities safe while fully abolishing the police and prison system, I have some oceanfront property in South Dakota to sell them.Aside Claims · 140 wordsThe problem is that Democratic Socialists do believe this. Swept up in their utopian fantasies, they believe that by implementing the right system--socialism--they can somehow do away with human evil and remove the need for police or prisons--or armies, for that matter. But, of course, no system is going to be able to fully eliminate evil. No matter how many social programs you put in place or how much education the government provides, there are always going to be men and women who choose to harm others for their own ends. And the idea that we would eliminate the men and women who protect society from these people-- well, again, I don’t think I need to explain to anyone just how quickly the peace and safety that we take for granted would evaporate, on both the local and national scale. Procedure · 8 wordsAnd the Democratic Socialist platform doesn’t end there.Procedure Claims · 217 wordsEverything I have discussed so far would remake our country on a massive scale to the point of its being unrecognizable as the free, secure, and prosperous Nation that we have known over the past 250 years. But Democratic Socialists would take it even further. Their platform calls for officially changing our system of government, for eliminating the Senate and replacing ``the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.’’³ Those aren’t tweaks around the margin; that is a full abolishment of the American system. That is the elimination of the checks and balances that define our government and help prevent any one branch from exceeding its lawful authority, and it is the elimination of real protection for minority rights. ``[W]e know complete victory will require building a new society from the ground up’’ the authors of the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America write.<sup>4</sup> And that is exactly what they propose to do: eliminate the American system and build another in its place. And this is the political organization that is currently finding a home in the Democrat Party. Democrats are giving a home to an organization that is not merely dedicated to the radical expansion of government but to the actual elimination of our system of government. Positioning · 1 wordsWhy?Positioning Claims · 42 wordsWell, at its worst, socialism moves into full-blown communism-- the economic system that characterized the Soviet Union and oversaw not merely the exploitation of workers and ordinary people but the complete loss of freedom for millions and the death of millions more. Procedure · 19 wordsAnd just in case you think that has nothing to do with the Democratic Socialists of America, think again.ProcedureUnearned certainty Claims · 56 wordsThe Wall Street Journal reports that several members of the Democratic Socialists’ National Political Committee are ``dedicated Marxists and communists.’’⁵ One of the organization’s national cochairs, in fact, is a member of the Democratic Socialists’ Red Star Caucus whose goal is not merely socialism but communism.⁶ Communism--the hallmark of some of the world’s most repressive regimes. Positioning · 15 wordsSo I ask again, why are Democratic Socialists finding a home in the Democrat Party?Positioning Procedure · 11 wordsI yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.Procedure