Former Congressman Ernest Istook: Obama “Worse” Than a Socialist

Former Oklahoma Congressman Ernest Istook is upset that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wants Republican candidates on record about whether they believe President Obama is a socialist. Istook says, “Who can blame them,” and goes on to opine, “He’s certainly too close to socialism for my comfort level.” Istook prefers to call Obama a “social Democrat,” which he claims is a way station on the way to socialism.

Evidence? Istook doesn’t like that companies have to be environmentally responsible.

— To force businesses to toe the line and be politically correct about global warming, his Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered companies to report on their “carbon footprint” and plans to respond to climate change.

He doesn’t like that government wants to regulate insurance companies.

— Obama’s healthcare plans would put the squeeze on private insurance companies and the entire medical sector. Many consider it the way to transition toward full government-run “single payer” medicine. Remember the comments by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., that a public option would lead to single payer?

He claims we’re going to be forced into smaller homes.

— Calling it the “livable communities” and “smart growth” program, Obama has HUD, EPA, and the Transportation Department pushing plans that will force Americans into smaller homes. Restrictions on growth, land development, and the use of automobiles would shoehorn us into what Heritage’s Ronald Utt calls “hobbit homes.”

Obama is being “sneaky” and a “control freak” reasons Istook, not wanting ownership but exerting control.

You might call Obama a big-government control freak. Still, that doesn’t make him a socialist by textbook definition, since mostly he seeks “only” control rather than ownership. Because of that sneaky distinction, he’s a social democrat by definition. And because it’s sneaky, that could be worse than a socialist.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.