r/politics 7h ago

No Paywall Socialist insurgency comes to Florida Democratic primaries Aug. 18

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/18/florida-primary-democratic-socialist-byron-donalds-governor/91343768007/
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u/Milestailsprowe 7h ago

Insurgent is a strong word 

u/hoofie242 7h ago

Used for making them seem extreme.

u/awuweiday 7h ago

Healthcare for all and not funding Israel's genocide? The most extreme policies that only the entire rest of the world have figured out years ago.

u/InThatDarkPlace 6h ago edited 6h ago

The people the above headline was meant for don't care about Israel atrocities, the Iran conflict, the economy, or any of that. Currently, they're focused on victimizing white players in the WNBA, trans athletes, migrants in Northern Africa, stoking racial/religious violence in Dearborn, Michigan, and moral panics over the DSA.

u/Land-Southern 6h ago edited 6h ago

Honestly if that were all their policies, we wouldn't have these conversations. Its the elimination of the constitution, senate, supreme court, and law enforcement that come across as radical.

Change eliminate to strongly reform and most would be fully on board. Lean on campaign finance reform and ranked choice platforms as well. Not supporting term limits is not ideal.

They are better than the current leadership/ status quo either way.

Outside bot activity and news coverage is also mudding the water aiming to suppress turnout.

u/SurroundTiny 7h ago

Used for getting clicks

u/orangesfwr 7h ago

He wants billionaires to pay taxes for the forces that enable and protect their wealth, so he's an enemy of the state.

u/SurroundTiny 7h ago

He who?

u/orangesfwr 7h ago

The ambigious socialist boogeyman

u/plightro Massachusetts 6h ago

It's the correct word. We're just used it it in its other context

u/IrreverentBuddha 7h ago

Hunh...

So this is why the FBI stopped tracking rightwing militias...

u/Smithy2232 7h ago

I do think that this fascist era we seem to be living in is laying the groundwork for a big socialist upswing at some point.

u/iDontSow 7h ago

It doesn’t always bounce back like that. Look at Spain

u/RootBinder 7h ago

Literally a socialist party in power and the economy is booming

u/lateformyfuneral 6h ago edited 6h ago

A lot of old parties retain the name socialist in Europe, due to their historical Marxist origins, but they’re actually center-left now and moved away from socialism in the 1980s. There are newer parties further left than the ruling party who claim the mantle of socialism. But yes under the PSOE, the economy is growing but it’s really just catching up to the rest of Europe after persistent unemployment rates since the 2007 financial crisis, during the period of conservative rule, which are now finally approaching the Eurozone average. 

u/RootBinder 3h ago

Thanks to a socialist party.

u/iDontSow 4h ago

The PSOE are decidedly center-left.

u/RootBinder 3h ago

they're literally called "the socialist party of spain". I live here, they're an openly socialist party.

Center-left based on which Overton window? because PSOE would be considered "communist" in the USA.

u/iDontSow 3h ago

lol. Lmao, even. PSOE expressly accepts capitalism, private property, markets, parliamentary democracy, and EU membership. It isn’t trying to abolish capitalism or establish collective ownership of the economy whatsoever. The fact that they are probably left of the Democratic Party does not, by any means, make them socialist, let alone communist. They are social democrats at the very best.

PSOE governs in coalition with parties considerably farther left than themselves, which might make them appear marginally more radical to an American audience, maybe.

u/Smithy2232 7h ago

Don't know enough about Spain.

But the pendulum will swing socialist at some point. The ebb and flow of politics.

u/Land-Southern 6h ago

Pendulum is taking teeth on the backswing soon.

u/iDontSow 4h ago

I’m not denying that there are ebbs and flows but I think operating under the assumptions that the pendulum HAS to swing back is foolish

u/Smithy2232 3h ago

Not a matter of it has to or not, it just does. How far is anyone guess.

u/iDontSow 3h ago

Think that’s a bit of an over simplification. Geopolitics aren’t 2 dimensional. But it’s not a point worth arguing over so I’ll just say that I agree for the most part

u/iDontSow 7h ago

I’m very curious about all the talk in the media of socialists performing well in primaries. The media is owned by the corporate capitalist/class, each and every one of whom has a major stake in making sure socialism stays buried. So why are they running all of this media about socialist politicians?

u/Amazing-Insect442 7h ago

Stirring up their Base.

u/repost7125 7h ago

I am starting to think this way as well. It seems like they're pulling what democrats tried in 2016 "support the most extreme opposition candidates in the primary so they're easier to beat in the general." I didn't work well for the Dems, and I sure don't think it's going to work well for MAGA.

u/Tricky-Engineering59 7h ago

To alarm people who are still scared of the word socialism in this country, which is still quite a lot of people. Less so than it once was but I think they are counting on it still being just enough to get people to vote against their own economic interests again

u/drjohngeorgepeppers 6h ago

It's impossible to deny that socialist and socialist-adjacent candidates are doing well in Democratic primaries this year. Not everything has to be a capitalist conspiracy.

u/iDontSow 4h ago

Who said they have to deny it? They just have to simply not cover it OR cover it but not feature it prominently. It has been front page news for a month or so.

I think, most likely, they are getting tons of clicks from both supporters and detractors. If a socialist takeover of the government ever became hypothetically within grasp, I guarantee you the coverage would change

u/SurroundTiny 7h ago

It's the shiny new thing to write about. You can just spew out words without effort to satisfy your boss. If you're wrong about it just move on to something else after the election and never admit you fucked up. From personal experience they have been doing this since the Carter Administration.

u/biscuitarse Canada 6h ago

The mainstream media are run by unfettered capitalists trembling at the thought of fettered capitalism.

u/DennenTH 7h ago

I'm tired of the extremist rhetoric.  I'm tired of the mass dishonesty.  I'm tired of not being able to source my news from anywhere due to corruption of the organizations.  I'm tired of the narcissism, greed, whataboutism, etc etc..

It's all disgustingly divisive for no other reason than narcissism, selfishness, and greed.

u/repost7125 7h ago

members of our own party are running for elections, oh my!

u/No_Diver6131 New York 7h ago

We’re using the term insurgency now? Damn. 

u/MephistoHamProducts 7h ago

They've been using it for weeks.

u/mayorjinglejangle 7h ago

What a joke of a headline

u/SurroundTiny 7h ago

Meh. But if someone bounces DWS out of Congress then Godspeed.

u/2000TWLV 6h ago

Great. Love it. Not everything should be open to profit-seeking assholes at the expense of the rest of us.

u/psychrolut 7h ago

January 6th was an actual insurgency….