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Few speak the truth as clearly and succinctly as House Speaker Mike Johnson. Appearing on ABC's "This Week," co-host Jonathan Karl challenged the speaker's calling the recent No King rallies "Hate America Rallies," calling them "the modern Democratic Party." Johnson responded that "there is a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party . . . just look what is happening in New York. They are about to elect an open socialist Marxist as mayor of America's largest city." Johnson did not also note that this "socialist Marxist" has been endorsed by New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul. The data bear out clearly what Johnson is saying. Per Gallup polling of one month ago, 66 percent of Democrats said they have a positive view of socialism, compared to 42 percent saying they have a positive view of capitalism. Among Republicans, 74 percent expressed a positive view of capitalism and 14 percent a positive view of socialism. The ideological chasm between the two parties has never been deeper or wider. This has important implications for national security. Amid the current government shutdown, Republicans want to extract the Defense Department (now War Department) from the morass and are advancing a separate bill to fund the department for one year. Senate Democrats are blocking the bill from a vote unless Republicans agree to what started the shutdown to begin with: Democrats' insistence on restoring some $500 billion in funding for Obamacare premiums that were enacted as temporary during covid. In a July report in Business Insider, the Navy's acting chief of naval operations was quoted as rating the Navy's average combat-surge readiness at "around 68 percent." Per the story, the Navy is "bogged down by shipbuilding struggles and maintenance woes." China, per the report, "has the largest navy in the world, and it is building new warships at a faster pace than the U.S." Ronald Reagan observed: "We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted." But the love of big government and political power of the socialist Democratic Party is now so great that it is more important to them than our national security. Per the Cato Institute, the Obamacare "enhanced subsidies" that Democrats want to restore "are a costly reminder of how temporary government programs can become billion-dollar permanent entitlements." The analysis urges that these temporary subsidies are not restored. Per the analysis, extending the temporary subsidies would increase the deficit by $350 billion over 10 years, increase overall spending by more than $488 billion, and increase interest costs by $60 billion. Because the temporary covid subsidies removed the 400 percent of poverty spending cap, some one-third goes to individuals with incomes above 400 percent over the poverty line. Further, per Cato, enrollment fraud is rampant, with "more than 6.4 million improper enrollees, costing taxpayers $27 billion in 2025." The big government socialists are squeezing out our national security. We can't let it happen. Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education.
