More: "Besides fundamentalist religion, perhaps the most potent reason why intellectuals struggle in elections is that intellectualism has been equated with subversion. The brief flirtation of some thinkers with communism a long time ago has been used to create an impression in the public mind that all intellectuals are communists. Almost every day men like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly rage against the "liberal elites" destroying America.

The spectre of pointy-headed alien subversives was crucial to the election of Reagan and Bush. A genuine intellectual elite - like the neocons (some of them former communists) surrounding Bush - has managed to pitch the political conflict as a battle between ordinary Americans and an over-educated pinko establishment. Any attempt to challenge the ideas of the rightwing elite has been successfully branded as elitism.

Obama has a good deal to offer America, but none of this will come to an end if he wins. Until the great failures of the US edu

Ha ha your on the road to enlightenment as Buddist grasshoppers would say.I agree entirely with your post seems lack of biology lessons at school. Richest nation cant even afford decent health and education system, too much investment in zoinist hammer, that control media.Look how they castigated pissed Mel Gibson,(actor) for making Religious slurr and he,s Catholic I think,stupidly; 'nutters rule," the opiate of the people" for sure!!! Obamas" priest "friend looked like Adolf going off!! You dont have to be an elitist intellectual "pinko "to know which way the wind blows, careful they might edit you for thinking a loud. Ha ha.

That problem is compounded by the fact that Americans as a whole have been brainwashed into thinking that communism is a bad thing. News flash; the USSR wasn't communist. It was a fascist socialist republic; the evil flip-side of social democracy. The world has never, ever seen a true communist society, except, possibly in some small monasteries and collectives. There has NEVER been a truly communist nation in recorded history.

Communism isn't the boogieman that Republicans want you to think it is. Their "struggle" against communism was just a red herring they threw Americans to keep them distracted while they systematically worked to make America more and more fascist.

I totally agree with darkeforce. Well noticed, well said.

Needless to say that neither Classical Marxism or interpreted Marxism would have led to true communism, because they both anticipated a temporary resp. permanent form of hierarchy and control.

And indeed, small communities like they've existed throughout times may be or have been closer to this idealistic form, even if when following other dogmas (early christian communities, Rosicrucians, Franciscan fraternities, but also 'flower-power' communities and many more).

But if any dogmatic thought, hierarchy or belief in higher authority is believed to undermine or deny equality, then there has never been any real communism or democracy nor will there be.