Obama accuses Bush of 'social Darwinism'

[BuyingThyme]

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) accused the Bush administration on Tuesday of pursuing a policy of "social Darwinism" that leaves every man and woman struggling.

"It's a strategy that we've seen this administration pursue over the last six years, that basically says government has no role to play in making sure that America is prosperous for all people and not just some," Obama said to applause during an appearance before the Communications Workers of America.

...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070327/ap_on_el_pr/democrats2008_1

[Solly Mack]

1. It's true

[mainegreen]

2. Did he actually say 'social Darwinism'?

I seriously hope not.

[BuyingThyme]

3. It's quoted.

[patrice]

4. Why? please . . . n/t

[cali]

8. It's a pretty loaded term.

It's strongly tied to both racist policies and eugenics- both here in the U.S. and elsewhere, lik Nazi Germany.

[Radical Activist]

9. It sounds very appropriate to me.

It puts Bush in the historical context of the extreme conservative movement that he is part of. He is today's version of the American 19th and early 20th century social darwinists. That was a religious movement as well. The similarities are many.

[patrice]

10. Just tryin' to clarify here: So you think Obama over-states the case?

And that will give him problems with "proof"?

[cali]

14. No. Overstating isn't the problem

It's the use of the term itself that could get him raked over the coals.

[cali]

5. my first thought as well.

Huge blunder.

[godai]

6. Survival of the fittest

I think that it is a clever way of getting evolution in the mix for these creationists. And, it gets to the point, that bushco believes in survival of the fittest, as far as succeeding in America. All others are left behind.

[NYCGirl]

7. I wouldn't trust Nedra Pickler as far as I could throw her. I'd want to see a

transcript or hear the speech before I believed it.

[sandnsea]

16. "survival of the fittest"

Right wingers use that particular term all the time as it relates to economics. "Social Darwinism" puts it in terms they already use, in a way that exposes the money grubbers and makes the fundies see the economics for what they are. I think it's an okay term.

[thereismore]

11. Oh sweet, I love it. nt

[ripple]

12. That isn't the first time he's said that

He said it when I saw him in Kansas in January, 2006.

It's a phrase that aptly explains Bushco's deliberate perpetuation of the growing socio-economic divide in our nation. I'm not sure why it would be considered controversial, other than for people who support the policies of the past six years. :shrug:

[vireo]

13. I thought this term was in common usage

Maybe because I used Hofstadter's text in college.

Social Darwinism in the most basic form is the idea that biological theories can be extended and applied to the social realm. The term was popularized in 1944 by the American historian Richard Hofstadter, and has generally been used by critics rather than advocates of what the term is supposed to represent (Bannister, 1979; Hodgson, 2004).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_darwinism

[Johonny]

15. I know it's true

They are for the top 1 % of society and give not a crap for the average voter... why do people vote fot these people? I will never get it.

[tehehehe]

17. Now I am in a dilemma....

...Do I support Darwinism, or do I reject it? What is my liberal duty? If I reject Darwinism, then that means that all those religious freakazoids will have been right! What can I do? PLEASE HELP!

[BuyingThyme]

18. ::

[Dr Fate]

19. Social Darwinism & the theory of biological evolution have little to with each other.

Social Darwinism, as it was spoken of in the POSITIVE sense by Carnigie, etc was based on a misunderstanding of what evolution really is and how it works.

One is a universal fact of biology that has been proven to exist, the other is a a man-made application of misunderstood biological principals to politics & economics- that has not been proven to work.

Essentially, the original Social Darwinists were for intentionally weeding out the "weakest" in our society even when we had evolved to a point where we could make them "fit." Man-made Social & economic conditions, not natural biological conditions, is what made them "unfit" in the eyes of the Social Darwinist to begin with.

Social Darwinism was not of Darwin- it was rich folks trying to use science to justify greed and unchecked capitalist competition.

I agree with Obama- the Social Darwinists were wrong then and they are wrong now.

[ck4829]

20. The theory of Evolution and Social Darwinism are two different things

[DrunkenMaster]

21. Social Darwinism is NOT Evolutionary Theory!!!

SD is esentially eugenics. It has absolutely zero to do with selective adaptation. A little research will go a long way on this one.

[Solly Mack]

22. You could start by learning the difference between C Darwin and H Spencer

perhaps you're not fit enough to learn though :)

[patrice]

23. False dichotomy.

You're kidding, right? Surely you are not serious that normal mature minds would think that way.

If you think some law of nature is true, that doesn't mean that you also think it explains everything. You know any law of nature can be used improperly.

[patrice]

24. You're really out of your depth here. n/t

[uppityperson]

25. message to you, learn the useage of this smiley :sarcasm:

unless you mean it. (it looks like this in use :sarcasm: )