McCain: The New McCarthy?

The recent move by the McCain campaign to pin Obama's economic policies as Socialist policies is troubling in more ways than you may know. I am proud to see members of the media fight back over these allegations: people like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow have expressed their disapproval of using such scare-tactics.

But this begs another, far more troubling question: since when did Capitalism and America become mutually exclusive? Put another way: when did being American necessarily mean being a capitalist? I am, myself, a capitalist in the sense that I believe some (though not all) free markets have a way of self-regulating and that a proven way for markets to organize themselves is a (closely watched) division between capital and labor. But, this does not hold true for all American economics and if I believe that the U.S. government has a distinct responsibility to protect its people from overzealous capitalism as perpetrated by an ever-growing marriage between corporation and government, that may mean I am less capitalist than John McCain, but certainly not "un-American." What's more, is that in this country especially, I shouldn't have to feel the need to defend my dissenting economic view.

I will admit freely that I am no economist, I am not a politician. But, I do trust my government to take care of me by ensuring industries do not exploit me simply for being on the business end of Labor V. Capital. I shouldn't have to reiterate that I love this country and all the freedom (economic and otherwise) it offers. And, digressing back into a McCarthy-era culture simply to win a campaign seems far more un-American than expecting one's government to ensure protection for its each and every citizen.

Patriotism is not defined as unconditional support of industry. Just as a government allowed to grow without checks-and-balances is a dangerous notion for any individual seeking liberty, so too is the unlimited growth of the division between capital and labor.