Dem Rep. Dingell Defends ‘Socialist’ Label — ‘Democrats Have Got to Own What They’re Doing’

During an appearance on FNC’s “Your World” on Thursday, host Neil Cavuto asked Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) about the possibility her party could continue to suffer from the perception it has embraced socialism.

Dingell referenced her father-in-law John Dingell, Sr., who was also a congressman for Michigan and played a role in the implementation of Social Security, which at that time was criticized for having properties of socialism.

She suggested that given Social Security’s popularity, embracing things labeled “socialism” does not always turn out to be bad.

“You know, this is what I’m going to say, Neil. And I’m very blunt about this. None of us can be judgmental. We need to look at the number of people that voted for President Trump and why. I am someone who thinks that we have, A, let Republicans define who we are. And I use this — you have seen all this — everybody using different phrases to brand them. My father-in-law was one of the authors of Social Security. He got called a socialist. He got called a communist. He had crosses burnt on his lawn.”

“You tell me who in America is going to call Social Security a socialist idea right now. Democrats have got to own what they’re doing. There are people at the dinner tables every night that are talking about issues that they are worried about, from whether their job is going to be safe, having trade deals, whether there’s a level playing field, access to broadband in urban and rural areas, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, making sure people with preexisting coverage have — we have got a lot of common ground.”

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