It's a little more complicated than that. I'd break down the left's hierarchy as follows:
1. The leadership -- Their objective is power, they recognize the ideology is absurd -- but it is a useful means to their end.
2. The true believers -- they really believe in socialism and are intellectually incapable of realizing their error. They make for good lieutenants to the leadership.
3. The useful idiots -- the blind followers, the foot soldiers of socialism. They don't believe in the ideology necessarily, but they believe in its slogans and sound bites. Also referred to as "the low information voter".
4. The slaves -- to whom the ideology means nothing, but the goodies achieved thru accession and dependency mean everything.
1. The leadership — Their objective is power, they recognize the ideology is absurd — but it is a useful means to their end.
That would be Obama, Emanuel and the like.
2. The true believers — they really believe in socialism and are intellectually incapable of realizing their error. They make for good lieutenants to the leadership.
Here we have Pelosi, Boxer, etc...
3. The useful idiots — the blind followers, the foot soldiers of socialism. They don’t believe in the ideology necessarily, but they believe in its slogans and sound bites. Also referred to as “the low information voter”.
A large percentage of Obama voters that believed in empty slogans like “Hope and Change”
4. The slaves — to whom the ideology means nothing, but the goodies achieved thru accession and dependency mean everything.
Those dependent on Government for Food Stamps and Obama phones.