Joe Klein Explains His ‘Victory For Socialism’ Comment On NY 26: I Was Mocking ‘Radical Republicans’

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by Mark Joyella | 1:22 pm, May 26th, 2011

» 36 comments

As the internets have likely been informing you, last night on MSNBC’s The Last Word, TIME columnist Joe Klein said the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.”

On Fox, the comments were covered without any suggestion Klein might’ve been kidding. And at Hot Air, Klein’s applauded for getting it right: “He’s crowing about Hochul’s big win and that’s irritating, so I feel obliged to rip on him — and yet, I don’t really disagree. Medicare is socialistic and the public might, might, be attached to it to the point where they prefer not to touch it even though that necessarily means a fiscal crisis sooner rather than later.”

Today, Klein’s explaining himself on TIME.com, and the gist of it is this: it was a joke, people. Klein says his intent was to mock “the radical Republican tendency to pin the S-word on anything” that involves government participation:

“My tongue was planted firmly in cheek–I was mocking the radical Republican tendency to pin the S-word on anything that involves government participation…and Medicare does happen to be a single-payer government health care program, a “public option,” as it were, for seniors. I made that clear in subsequent comments. This morning, Drudge is featuring my remark…unironically, of course. Can Rush and Beck be far behind? Of course not. To make myself perfectly clear: I don’t consider Medicare socialism. Unlike, say, the British system, the doctors aren’t public employees. They’re private contractors who get paid according to services rendered. That’s not socialism…although it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reform the program so that doctors are paid per capita rather than per service (as doctors are at the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics).”

Watch the segment here, from MSNBC:

Joe Klein, Lawrence O'Donnell, msnbc, Time

TangledThorns

Can’t spell joke with Joe. Seriously, don’t quit your day job Joe.
Dem4Ever

The libs/progs just can’t seem to get it right. They are ways back tracking. It appears that they are test marketing ideas and sound bites on the public, and then denying and back pedaling the intent when they receive negative reactions.
Leckan

Dem4Ever said:
The libs/progs just can’t seem to get it right. They are ways back tracking. It appears that they are test marketing ideas and sound bites on the public, and then denying and back pedaling the intent when they receive negative reactions.

Hahaha so you REALLY believed they thought for a second that they would received positive reactions by saying it was a win for socialism? That’s just a weird rationalization dude.
The Lantern of Truth

No one does less research or has less knowledge than Traitor Joe .

Joe was the one who outed his fellow Journolisters .
Dem4Ever

Leckan said:
Hahaha so you REALLY believed they thought for a second that they would received positive reactions by saying it was a win for socialism? That’s just a weird rationalization dude.

Leckan said:
Hahaha so you REALLY believed they thought for a second that they would received positive reactions by saying it was a win for socialism? That’s just a weird rationalization dude.

No, Klein believed it.
WCinWI

Joe Klein is and always has been a joke. He’s entered Andrew Sullivan territory.
Barack Must Go

Joe Klein Explains His ‘Victory For Socialism’ Comment On NY 26: I Was Mocking ‘Radical Republicans’

Joe Klein is a commy douchebag. That said, nothing else about him really matters in the grand scheme of things…..he is irrelevant in America…..maybe not in obama’s amerika…but to ” real ” Americans…he’s ” dead to us “.
http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

Only 100K voters cast ballots in NY26′s special election…
usual voter turnout for NY26 is 250K…
Hochul won w/ only 48K… tha’s 25% of normal voter turnout totals…

my point is is that the Left is having a case of premature ejaculation…
TeaPartyPatriot

It took TWO lunatic-left d-cRAT socialists to defeat ONE republican in NY-26 !!!!!

The desperate, anti-democratic, despicable election tactics of the d-cRAT socialists go beyond putting up phony tea party candidates to help elect themselves. In Arizona’s 8th CD, the socialists helped fund a libertarian candidate to draw votes away from Tea Party-backed Republican Jesse Kelly. Pelsoi puppet, goofy gabby giffords, who was the incumbent, also sent out a brochure calling the libertarian candidate the ONLY true conservative running and not her REAL opponent. This, along with massive voter fraud by ILLEGALS, helped goofy gabby squeak-by with a win with fewer votes than the libertarian spoiler got and less than the estimates of ILLEGALS voter fraud (which amounted to several thousand “votes”).

Never underestimate how low the d-cRAT socialists will sink to thwart democracy and stay in power.
The Dweller Ysul

Yeah, Beck and Boys were all over Klein today with their typical originality, subtlety and wit: “they were called National SOCIALISTS,” the Meshuggunah repeated over and over. The best part, though, was where Beck tried to explain that the Nazis were considered right-wing only in Europe, “where the political spectrum is top-down, not left-right like in the US.” Sure, Glenn, Obama can certainly look forward to the capturing American Nazi, militia & aryan brotherhood vote. Moron.
tatboy

It was not a joke… he’s getting heat and he’s walking it back.
tatboy

Anyone else see the irony of an extremist ideologue like Joe Klein lecturing the other side about it’s extreme ideologues. Just sayin.
Nacho

Socialism 2012
seek

tatboy said:
It was not a joke… he’s getting heat and he’s walking it back.

He spoke off the cuff and now the dip wad is at a loss as to how to walk it back? Call in the “clean up crew”.
Liberal Tormentor

Well as I’ve said before, Libs can’t do comedy, they are too full of hate and anger. Their “comedy” falls flat.
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

Barack Must Go said:
commy douchebag

YES!!!!!!!!111 Joe Klein is a TOTAL COMMY!!!!!!!111 I am SO GLAD that we are going back to the ENEMIES that our GRANDPARENTS warned us about – COMMYS and SOCIALISTS!!!!!!1111 They are hiding EVERYWHERE – in the MEDIA, in our SCHOOLS, and behind EVERY TREE!!!!!!!111 Root them all out and let’s Take Back our Once Proud Republic!!!!!!!!1111
seek

I guess the left can’t even defend this guy – lol

They abandoned the story.
http://constitutionallibertarian.co.cc DavidKramer

Walk it back, do not admit we are all just a bunch of socialists.

Nothing to see here, those are not the droids you are looking for.
grafxmail7

seek said:
I guess the left can’t even defend this guy – lol

They abandoned the story.

HHAHHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!

You probably really do believe this is an actual story!!!

The code words get you Righties so worked up!

Righties are such brainwashed dummies!!

HAHAAHAHAHAH!!!!!
http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

Nacho said:
Socialism 2012

Go ahead, Sell it to the American people… excuse me, I mean distribute it based on a formula from some bureaucratic central planning agency…
OxyCon

Joke Line is a disturbed person. Whatever it is that is causing his mental problems is really taking it’s toll. Just look at how disheveled and beat down he looks. You’d think he’s carrying the entire world’s burdens on his back.
http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

If you concede that Medicare is socialism (it is), and that the NY-26 election was swung because of all the Medicare hoopla, then it is indeed a victory for socialism. We’re all socialists, and always have been.

Reality has a bittersweet tinge, doesn’t it elderly Medicare-loving Tea Party?
http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

OxyCon said:
Joke Line is a disturbed person. Whatever it is that is causing his mental problems is really taking it’s toll. Just look at how disheveled and beat down he looks. You’d think he’s carrying the entire world’s burdens on his back.

If only he had the stability and commonsense of someone like yourself.
dzent1

The Repuglican toadies on this site are HILARIOUS! I’m gonna have a LOT of fun burning through the pathetic little talking points they lift directly from their chummy email circles. Talk about a flustercuck…LOL!
notsofast

Poor Joe- he finally tells the truth and then retracts it.

hahahaha
Barack Must Go

Karl Spensen said:
YES!!!!!!!!111 Joe Klein is a TOTAL COMMY!!!!!!!111 I am SO GLAD that we are going back to the ENEMIES that our GRANDPARENTS warned us about – COMMYS and SOCIALISTS!!!!!!1111 They are hiding EVERYWHERE – in the MEDIA, in our SCHOOLS, and behind EVERY TREE!!!!!!!111 Root them all out and let’s Take Back our Once Proud Republic!!!!!!!!1111

You just couldn’t leave well enough alone I see you little scab eater you.
Dem4Ever

So…we are left with this…either Joe Klein was lying before, when he joyfully proclaimed the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” or Joe Klein is lying now when he claims that it “was not a victory”.

Joe you really stepped in it this time, buddy.
Resistance Is Futile

notsofast said:
Poor Joe- he finally tells the truth and then retracts it.

hahahaha

You cannot be as stupid as you seem. He did not take anything back. He was explaining the meaning of what he was saying in the context of Lawrence O’Donnell ongoing civics lessons on what socialism is. You are one of the dumbest trolls I have ever seen on any blog and I have seen quite a few. Amazing. How much gin do you drink every night and for how many years have you been drinking it?
Resistance Is Futile

Dem4Ever said:
So…we are left with this…either Joe Klein was lying before, when he joyfully proclaimed the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” or Joe Klein is lying now when he claims that it “was not a victory”.

Joe you really stepped in it this time, buddy.

Dem4Ever said:
So…we are left with this…either Joe Klein was lying before, when he joyfully proclaimed the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” or Joe Klein is lying now when he claims that it “was not a victory”.

Joe you really stepped in it this time, buddy.

Dem4Ever said:
So…we are left with this…either Joe Klein was lying before, when he joyfully proclaimed the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” or Joe Klein is lying now when he claims that it “was not a victory”.

Joe you really stepped in it this time, buddy.

Dem4Ever said:
So…we are left with this…either Joe Klein was lying before, when he joyfully proclaimed the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” or Joe Klein is lying now when he claims that it “was not a victory”.

Joe you really stepped in it this time, buddy.

Get the cobwebs out of your head, obviously there is not much grey matter there. Joe Klein’s satire went straight over you simple head. How pitiful.
Pablo

Resistance Is Futile said:
He was explaining the meaning of what he was saying in the context of Lawrence O’Donnell ongoing civics lessons on what socialism is.

Which is “Wonderful!”, right armwood?
J Baustian

Joe Klein never opens his mouth or write a single article without saying something really stupid. And yet he still calls himself a journalist.
OZ

It is Socialism and the American public love it.
OZ

Dem4Ever said:
So…we are left with this…either Joe Klein was lying before, when he joyfully proclaimed the Democratic win in New York’s 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” or Joe Klein is lying now when he claims that it “was not a victory”.

Joe you really stepped in it this time, buddy.

I don’t know when he was or was not lying, but let me echo his joyful proclomation..Hooray! Kathy Hochul won New York’s 26th District special election!
OZ

OZ said:
I don’t know when he was or was not lying, but let me echo his joyful proclomation..Hooray! Kathy Hochul won New York’s 26th District special election!

OOPS! Proclamation. I simply hate typos.
http://none pyrope

OZ said:
It is Socialism and the American public love it.

Well, you’re partly correct, the parasites and professional victims of the “entidamit class” love it.

Joe Klein Explains His ‘Victory For Socialism’ Comment On NY 26: I Was Mocking ‘Radical Republicans’

Sure you were Joe, sure you were.
pinkie

http://www.airmaxclubs.com