How are todays' Democrats best categorized as socialists?

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

[Miztiki]

I'm reading about socialism on wikipedia and wondered how the Democrats of today would best be categorized. Are they social democrats? Reformist socialists? Moderates? Are they socialists according to definition of socialism at all?

Are they Marxists who see socialism as the "transition between capitalism and communism, the final stage of history"?

Do they only want a "welfare state"?

For instance, what is Hillary? What type of "ism" does she envision for our country?

[Miztiki]

There's a good description of socialism on wikipedia, what it means, the different flavors, history of it, etc. if anyone wants to look it up. There are many other "isms" within the text that lead to more info too.

[romanesq]

The Democrat party of today is split between the old Roosevelt socialist lite folks and the new hard core leftists who embrace both socialiasm and marxism.

Many of them can not speak to either of the latter. They merely rant the feel good propaganda that both idealogies have made part and parcel in the quest to take America from within.

[ModelBreaker]

They are all creeping totalitarians—some want to run and some would creep more slowly. But they are all heading to the same destination. Ideological details are unimportant. I don’t care about the fine differences between socialists, communists and national-socialists. They all hate God and they all want to engineer my life and my children’s lives into something abhorrent.

[Diogenesis]

[Diogenesis]

[cripplecreek]

There is no "me" in comrade Gore's Amerika.

[cgbg]

The Democrats have also combined socialism with a Nanny State mentality. While the old Socialists (not Communists) valued individual foibles the Democrats want cradle to grave control over our health, vices, beliefs, and dreams as well as where we live ("planned growth") and how much energy we use (the "global warming" scam). They have become self-appointed "benevolent dictators".

I think they see average people as mental patients and themselves as the guards.

[RichInOC]

Oh, that's good. That's very good. My compliments to whoever did that one.

[romanesq]

Gosh you really illustrate so well in a personal way. It’s all bad and as you said.

[flying Elvis]

"For instance, what is Hillary? What type of "ism" does she envision for our country?:

Despotism.

[Paladin2]

Commie, Pinko, Fascists.

[Flatus I. Maximus]

Fabian Socialists. Like the Fabian Society in the U.K., they’ve come to the conclusion that Marx and Engels were right, but that all that class warfare proletarian revolution language will never sell. Therefore, they’re out to achieve the ultimate goal of a socialist society, but by using the methods of Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator: stealth, patience, subversion, and harassment.

[cripplecreek]

That one was one of mine done just this morning. Feel free to snag it if you wish.

[chimera]

Barack Obama is more of a Fabian Socialist. I’d have to categorize Hillary as more of a radical Marxist-socialist. Dennis Kucinich, probably more of a wacko-socialist. The others? I don’t know, probably socialists similar to those of Sweden and France.

[Zeroisanumber]

It varies. There are some who are old Roosevelt/Kennedy Democrats, strong on national defense and believe in socialism-lite, most of those seem to be from the southwest or Great Lakes region. Coastal Dems seem to tend more towards Social Democrats or out-and-out Socialists. I’ve met very very few true blue Communists who claim to be a member of anything but a fringe party.

[The South Texan]

[Thebaddog]

Where does the term “Statist” fit into the socialist world?

[Howie66]

ANTI-AMERICA COMMUNISTS.....and that just covers the RAT Party “purists......the rest are just a bunch of stupid dolts.

[sbMKE]

The Milwaukee socialists are very much into full blown surrender — both at home to illegal immigrants and abroad to the islamofascists. I don’t see a thread of national security values among the voting population or the elected officials on a local level here.

Oh, and handouts a plenty as well.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Thats the way I see the issue as well. You’re dead on.