# Republicans itching to use Hammer & Sickle logo against Sanders. Best response? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 2, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898 "2016-02-02T01:28:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/61 "2016-02-03T00:02:45Z")
Thanks, Hank, that’s interesting data, although I note that some of the hypothetical polls I’ve linked to do show Sanders getting more than 50% of the vote. Given that you only need 50%+1 to get elected, I’m not sure that’s an insurmountable barrier, but this does constitute evidence that it could be a significant problem. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/62 "2016-02-03T00:20:57Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > He’s already given an answer of sorts. When asked if he wanted the USA to resemble Norway or Denmark, he replied, “What’s wrong with that?”. And he’s right. You do understand the major way that Norway and Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries, afford their lavish socialist benefits is from oil and gas revenues ? Take away the oil and gas revenues up there and they are ALL in serious financial problems. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/63 "2016-02-03T00:33:26Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > You do understand the major way that Norway and Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries, afford their lavish socialist benefits is from oil and gas revenues ? Take away the oil and gas revenues up there and they are ALL in serious financial problems. Cite that they would be? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/64 "2016-02-03T00:36:03Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > What did we even need a revolution for? We would have been better off just staying with England like Canada did. Yes, America was rebelling against King George’s socialist policies for Pete’s sake. Thing Fish, you know popular vote doesn’t choose the President, right? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/65 "2016-02-03T00:36:40Z")
> [@](#): > > …Take away the oil and gas revenues up there and they are ALL in serious financial problems. Got a hunch that most countries, deprived of a major source of income, would experience economic difficulties. Here, we just make 'em up. So, we are more creative! ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/66 "2016-02-03T01:18:40Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Yes, America was rebelling against King George’s socialist policies for Pete’s sake. > > Thing Fish, you know popular vote doesn’t choose the President, right? Yes, of course. Oversimplifying for the sake of brevity. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/67 "2016-02-03T01:36:05Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > You do understand the major way that Norway and Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries, afford their lavish socialist benefits is from oil and gas revenues ? Take away the oil and gas revenues up there and they are ALL in serious financial problems. No, I don’t “understand” that. Norway, yes. Denmark gets far, far less of their GDP from oil and gas, and Sweden – arguably the most socialized of them all – has a diversified mixed economy, and historically one of the strongest in Europe. Stop getting your information from Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/68 "2016-02-03T01:41:31Z")
Stop getting your “information” from Fox News. Fixed that for you. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/69 "2016-02-03T02:27:17Z")
Following the second world war there was a limit to how far to the right a candidate could go, that limitation has clearly ended. We’re in a similar period following the end of the cold war as regards to how far to the left a candidate can go. Republicans have only themselves to blame as they have been calling _all_ Democrats socialists for so long a lot of people will be thinking, “Hey, why not vote for the real thing.” ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/70 "2016-02-03T02:45:27Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And Jane Fonda went to North Vietnam, but that don’t make her no Commie. I just don’t want to see _Bernie Sanders’ Fitness Revolution_. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/71 "2016-02-03T03:23:20Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I just don’t want to see _Bernie Sanders’ Fitness Revolution_. [Yes, you do.](http://www.salon.com/2016/01/27/bernie_sanders_in_a_g_string_thanks_a_whole_lot_daily_show/) Admit it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/72 "2016-02-03T03:28:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Substituting the word “socialist,” he’s pretty much saying that already. And that’s why he has no chance of becoming president. It’s a total loser argument. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/73 "2016-02-03T06:05:54Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > In reality, he’s not really that either. He’s a weird American version of a social democrat where the rich are expected to somehow pay for free stuff for everyone else. There’s no social solidarity, the middle class is supposed to somehow get a free ride in all of this and is absolved of any responsibility whatsoever for lifting up the poor. Considering that _the major substantive critique_ of Sanders from the centrists is that his payroll taxes to fund single-payer health insurance would cost most Americans more than what they’re paying for insurance now–including raising taxes on working poor who qualify for Medicaid–you are, again, dead wrong. Does he support a “Robin Hood” financial transactions tax? Yes, of course. That doesn’t make him unrealistic; it’s actually realistic about the present shape of the USA economy. But he is a real live social democrat. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/74 "2016-02-03T11:46:58Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > People had crazy conspiracies that leaders would arise seeking to do away with certain private enterprises, like medical insurance, and that they would work to funnel more and more of the economy through government coffers. Just curious, are you against welfare in particular, or the whole capitalist state apparatus in general? Like spending gigabucks on corporate subsidies, infrastructure, research, energy, the defense industry, etc. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/75 "2016-02-03T12:13:55Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Considering that _the major substantive critique_ of Sanders from the centrists is that his payroll taxes to fund single-payer health insurance would cost most Americans more than what they’re paying for insurance now–including raising taxes on working poor who qualify for Medicaid–you are, again, dead wrong. > > Does he support a “Robin Hood” financial transactions tax? Yes, of course. That doesn’t make him unrealistic; it’s actually realistic about the present shape of the USA economy. But he is a real live social democrat. But as he points out, the payroll tax only replaces health insurance premiums, so middle class Americans do actually skate under his plan. The “soak the rich” mentality does actually owe more to the old Progressives than to EUropean Social Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898/76 "2016-02-03T12:57:07Z")
Paying a First-World amount for First-World healthcare instead of a 50% markup and getting worse care is what you call “skating” now? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-itching-to-use-hammer-sickle-logo-against-sanders-best-response/744898.md?page=3)