Written by Michael Palomba
“Bernie Bros” and other socialists in America are attempting to use the coronavirus pandemic to push their radical political “Republicans Want Medicare for All, but Just for This One Disease.”
He opens by saying that all it took was a pandemic and suddenly we’re “turning into Denmark over here.” He then mentioned businesses’ generous plans to “pay and protect” workers affected by coronavirus, as well as comments made by Vice President Mike Pence about standing by working Americans. He specifically mentions Uber, Lyft, Trader Joe’s, and Amazon, all of which are continuing to pay employees even while they are not working due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Manjoo goes on to claim that Republicans are hypocrites because they were in favor of reimbursing hospitals for treating uninsured American’s who contracted COVID-19.
He then attempts to tie this all together as to why we need widespread socialism in America. He questions if it may force us to realize “the strength of a collectivist ethos” and says he “would like to imagine this bright future.”
This sort of manipulative journalism, especially from a source like the New York Times is part of why the media has such a poor reputation. Using the collective action required during an emergency to justify socialism on a national scale is ridiculous and the author is taking advantage of panic during a crisis to push a political agenda.
Some Twitter users took the same approach:
https://twitter.com/theneedledrop/status/1238885519095988225?s=21
Ironically, if you look past the photoshop, you see the problem with socialism. “Venezuelan toilet paper shortage an unwelcome symptom of socialism” was a real headline, except it wasn’t a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It was just part of everyday life for Venezuelans. With socialism, the shelves are always empty.
Except that capitalism will restock those shelves quickly and efficiently, and socialism looks like this WITHOUT a global pandemic https://t.co/w5TqNWtbiQ
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 13, 2020
We are dealing with an extraordinary circumstance and demand is exceptionally high. We are dealing with temporary shortages, but capitalism is the reason that they will not become a new reality.
It’s no surprise that socialists everywhere are taking advantage of the current coronavirus pandemic to push their political agenda. But it’s important to look deeper at what they’re saying. Once you look at their arguments and policy ideas, it becomes clear that their logic and ideology are very flawed.
Capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system (and it’s not close) and allows the U.S. to dominate as the global economic power. The temporary increase in collective action is not a justification for socialism, but it is proof that Americans can band together in a time of crisis and make sacrifices for the good of the country.
