When Democrats were grappling with sky-high inflation just a couple of years ago, Donald Trump called their plans to fight price gouging by American companies tantamount to communism

Now that it’s the Republican Party in the affordability hot seat, Trump Cabinet members — and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill — are doing much the same, laying into CEOs and calling for new regulations and antitrust suits...

Facing a rising cost of living that threatens their chances to hold onto their majorities in Congress in November, Republican members of Congress and Trump officials testifying before their committees Thursday repeatedly made their longtime allies in industry the scapegoat.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/16/cabinet-hearings-populism-00877139?utm_content=politico/magazine/Politics&utm_source=flipboard

Or maybe they always were?

Trump blasts Harris plan to ban price gouging as communism

Former President Donald Trump is attacking Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan for a federal ban on price gouging by grocery stores and food suppliers as “Soviet-style” controls.

But Republican state officials across the country have embraced the idea of capping excessive prices for years.

GOP state attorneys general, as well as many of their Democratic counterparts, have moved to stop companies from charging what they view as exorbitant increases in the cost of some goods in certain circumstances.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/24/trump-harris-price-gouging-groceries-00176247

What they are, and always have been, are a bunch of hypocrites, who couldn't define socialism if Karl Marx himself whacked them over the head with his manifesto.

Well, I'm grabbing the popcorn and going to watch NYC under the communist governor and mayor collapse into a far-left socialist hell. They told everyone with money to leave, and guess what, they did and are... with that awful woman governor is now begging people to come back because she needs them to contribute and pay for their feckless policies and get nothing but being told you are evil in return.

Couldn't make it up... complete morons. Florida and Texas seem to be doing just fine... haha, you reap what you sow and charity/social programs or helping people has to be paid for... which is what the left always overlooks, hence why they fail.

It's called the "Economic Calculation Problem" and is at the root of why all socialist/communist experiments end in miserable failure... and far-lefties hate this argument because it's true.

Socialism and communism work on the tiny to small scale, but once you try to scale it up to loads of people, who don't know or care about each other, it fails apart badly because it doesn't factor in human nature like greed etc. and then the only way to keep it going is to be very authoritarian and be a dictatorship.

1 hour ago, Sir Dude said:

Well, I'm grabbing the popcorn and going to watch NYC under the communist governor and mayor collapse into a far-left socialist hell. They told everyone with money to leave, and guess what, they did and are... with that awful woman governor is now begging people to come back because she needs them to contribute and pay for their feckless policies and get nothing but being told you are evil in return.

Couldn't make it up... complete morons. Florida and Texas seem to be doing just fine... haha, you reap what you sow and charity/social programs or helping people has to be paid for... which is what the left always overlooks, hence why they fail.

It's called the "Economic Calculation Problem" and is at the root of why all socialist/communist experiments end in miserable failure... and far-lefties hate this argument because it's true.

Socialism and communism work on the tiny to small scale, but once you try to scale it up to loads of people, who don't know or care about each other, it fails apart badly because it doesn't factor in human nature like greed etc. and then the only way to keep it going is to be very authoritarian and be a dictatorship.

This is what I call a Pavlovian response. The word "Marxists" in the title sets Sir Dude off into a screed about the Democratic Governor of New York and the Democratic Mayor of New York City. But the topic is is "Now Republicans Are Marxists, Too"

2 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

This is what I call a Pavlovian response. The word "Marxists" in the title sets Sir Dude off into a screed about the Democratic Governor of New York and the Democratic Mayor of New York City. But the topic is is "Now Republicans Are Marxists, Too"

This what I call the Alan Zeitgeist with his crystal ball again effect.

9 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

This what I call the Alan Zeitgeist with his crystal ball again effect.

I don't see what crystal balls have to do with what I wrote. Did I make some prediction about the future?

What I do see is that you have no relevant response to the fact that in a thread about Republicans going Marxist, you launched a screed against 2 Democratic politicians from New York.

MAGA Communism.

https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/clogic/article/view/201650/193868

What we have found is that MAGA Communism –that is, the progenitor ideology held and reified in the ACP–is a novel contribution to American Marxism, and that in its substance–the ACP –is working to achieve counter-hegemonic, left-wing goals. Below, we introduce the seminal piece of the ideology, Haz Al-Din’s THE RISE OF MAGA COMMUNISM, written by thefounder of the concept, who would later go on to become the Chairman of the ACP.This work will be analyzed from a Marxist perspective;its philosophical coherence–rather than its adherence to orthodoxy –will be assessed. Further, we analyze the actual reality and function of the ACP,itself, and discuss its organizational effectin relation to other contemporary communist parties. Finally, we discuss the overall discourse on the matter that exists in the main,which essentially amounts to criticism.

In his view, rightism is formally Right-wing, but generally indistinguishable from leftism.To Al-Din, rightism is the formalization of putting the essential objects of the rupture of modernity back together. It is an attempt to remedy the need for partisanship, but fails horribly; only able to function by neutralizing all opposition to give the appearance of zeitgeist. Both leftism and rightism, to Al-Din, function as police of the zeitgeist in civil society, as part of the so-called “Open Society,”the non-state apparatus that preserves and reproduces the forms of modernity.It is this Open Society, including NGOs, think tanks, universities, and lobbyists, that articulates American financial capital. Al-Din describes MAGA, however, as something altogether different than leftism, rightism, or an arm of the Open Society. MAGA, to Al-Din, is the American form of partisanship –a decentralized mass politics that holds every possible counter-hegemonic tendency.

When analyzing MAGA as a potential politl phenomenon, with implications for it being possibly fascist as with the traditional liberal view, or potentially revolutionary, as with Al-Din’s view, the actual class base must be fully understood. The way in which Marx distinguishes between discrete entities in the proletariat is by occupation, or form of labor. Marx considers the form of labor to be the actual realization of abstract human labor –this is the basis of which all exchange value can exist. If allabstract human labor is honed in the same process, the outcome would result in identical commodities, and no exchange could therefore rationally occur. The character or form of labor is the basis in which abstract human labor is realized into different commodities, and thus, commodities become differentiated from one another and therein able to be exchanged. This differentiation –as with tailors and weavers as Marx posits –is the essence of occupation, the basis of the real stratification of the proletariat. Few hitherto studies on MAGA’s class basis have been analyzed in terms of occupation, only the liberal reduction of income and education.

...the MAGA movement grew out of online virality, preening politicians, and bad-faith misinformation, all rigged to churn the full-blown grift around the Culture Wars. Nonetheless, it seems like “MAGA Communism” can and will stick around, especially on YouTube–a venue that, despite all its ills, remains a crucial hub for instigating political brawls and generating a fandom for fringe ideas.

Obviously, this view doesn’t account for the very real material reasons why people identify with [right-wing] ideas... But what’s interesting about the ‘MAGA Communism’ phrase is that it doesn’t necessarily mean communism in the literal sense of, say, demanding collective ownership.I think it’s meant to be a kind of cultural invocation–a defense from that which the elites want you to believe. It suggests something about how people’s political moorings are unsettled, and the search to find new bearings.

If you look at their policies, like what they actually propose, it’s clear that this is a deranged fringe movement that doesn’t really have a great deal of articulation. It seems ludicrous, but I would say it’s really a symptom of the erosion of rational political life.

Oh no, gas is still cheaper than it was under Biden and the markets are at all time highs,

7 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Oh no, gas is still cheaper than it was under Biden and the markets are at all time highs,

The computer says no.

Grok (AI):

8 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Oh no, gas is still cheaper than it was under Biden and the markets are at all time highs,

The thing is, in the first case the worldwide rise in prices was caused by a pandemic, in the second by a plague called Donald Trump.

1 minute ago, Alan Zweibel said:

The thing is, in the first case the worldwide rise in prices was caused by a pandemic, in the second by a plague called Donald Trump.

You give Trump credit for the markets being at all-time highs?

Oil is already trending down.

56 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

You give Trump credit for the markets being at all-time highs?

Oil is already trending down.

Crediting presidents with successes of the economy or blaming them for failures can be a difficult thing to prove.

But anyone who can't see the clear-cut connection between the Iran War and higher oil prices, higher gas prices, higher fertilizer prices etc is someone who must be living either in denial or in an alternative universe.

1 hour ago, Alan Zweibel said:

The thing is, in the first case the worldwide rise in prices was caused by a pandemic, in the second by a plague called Donald Trump.

Was the "Donald Trump plague" you speak of also funded by gain of Fauci and released from a Chinese bioweapons lab? Strange I never heard of this🤣

1 minute ago, Alan Zweibel said:

Crediting presidents with successes of the economy or blaming them for failures can be a difficult thing to prove.

But anyone who can't see the clear-cut connection between the Iran War and higher oil prices, higher gas prices, higher fertilizer prices etc is someone who must be living either in denial or in an alternative universe.

I agree that the higher prices are because of the Iran conflict, I never said it wasn't.

Just like I know cancelling pipelines and drilling contracts, and jawboning banks to squeeze oil companies drives oil prices up.

But I support the action against Iran, I was against the actions against the actions against American oil companies.

2 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Was the "Donald Trump plague" you speak of also funded by gain of Fauci and released from a Chinese bioweapons lab? Strange I never heard of this🤣

If that's what happened, and that's a big "if", it wasn't done on purpose.

I don't think that the war against Iran began as an "oops" although it may have turned into one.

5 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

If that's what happened, and that's a big "if", it wasn't done on purpose.

If what happened? We now know Fauci funded GOF at the Wuhan lab. We know the virus came from there. We know utterly deranged leftists censored these facts and falsely called them "conspiracy theories". The left are lower than a snakes belly, and here you are still trying to deny and make lame jokes about the lefts evil behavior.

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I agree that the higher prices are because of the Iran conflict, I never said it wasn't.

Just like I know cancelling pipelines and drilling contracts, and jawboning banks to squeeze oil companies drives oil prices up.

But I support the action against Iran, I was against the actions against the actions against American oil companies.

Here is the record of US oil production from 2016 through jan 2026.

It doesn't look like oil production declined during the Biden administration. In fact,

Under both Trump and Biden‑Harris, US oil and gas production surged to record highs, despite very different energy goals

https://theconversation.com/under-both-trump-and-biden-harris-us-oil-and-gas-production-surged-to-record-highs-despite-very-different-energy-goals-236859

7 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

If what happened? We now know Fauci funded GOF at the Wuhan lab. We know the virus came from there. We know utterly deranged leftists censored these facts and falsely called them "conspiracy theories". The left are lower than a snakes belly, and here you are still trying to deny and make lame jokes about the lefts evil behavior.

As usual, you get your facts wrong. The NIH did give a grant to the Eco-Health Alliance to do research into coronavirus. They, in turn awarded a grant to the Wuhan Lab to perform research into the transmission of corona virus by bats. There is no evidence that Fauci personally authorized that contract or knew of it. The NIH makes thousand of such grants yearly. You think that the head if the NIH is going to review each one much less the sub-grants that such recipients award?

18 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

Here is the record of US oil production from 2016 through jan 2026.

It doesn't look like oil production declined during the Biden administration. In fact,

Under both Trump and Biden‑Harris, US oil and gas production surged to record highs, despite very different energy goals

https://theconversation.com/under-both-trump-and-biden-harris-us-oil-and-gas-production-surged-to-record-highs-despite-very-different-energy-goals-236859

Ah, that old chestnut? Look at the chart, and imagine what production would have looked like had Biden not taken office.

11 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Ah, that old chestnut? Look at the chart, and imagine what production would have looked like had Biden not taken office.

You got some evidence to support that? Because oil prices were pretty much in the doldrums during the 2nd Trump administration.

US frackers were already facing a global oil supply glut. Trump’s Venezuelan dream could make it worse

US frackers were already facing a global oil supply glut. Trump’s Venezuelan dream could make it worse

Picture is as murky as a barrel of oil, with US companies in 2026 expecting their first production drop in four years

US shale-oil producers were already contending with oil prices at four-year lows. News that they may soon face a significant competitor in their back yard probably wasn’t how frackers wanted to greet 2026.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/us-oil-producers-global-supply-glut-venezuela

Just now, thanks to the oil shortage, drilling is picking up.

3 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

You got some evidence to support that? Because oil prices were pretty much in the doldrums during the 2nd Trump administration.

US frackers were already facing a global oil supply glut. Trump’s Venezuelan dream could make it worse

US frackers were already facing a global oil supply glut. Trump’s Venezuelan dream could make it worse

Picture is as murky as a barrel of oil, with US companies in 2026 expecting their first production drop in four years

US shale-oil producers were already contending with oil prices at four-year lows. News that they may soon face a significant competitor in their back yard probably wasn’t how frackers wanted to greet 2026.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/us-oil-producers-global-supply-glut-venezuela

Just now, thanks to the oil shortage, drilling is picking up.

Just look at your chart. Do you see that big dip? What do you supposed caused that?

12 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Just look at your chart. Do you see that big dip? What do you supposed caused that?

If you mean the big covid dip, what's that got to do with the oil glut and the winding down of exploration?

8 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

If you mean the big covid dip, what's that got to do with the oil glut and the winding down of exploration?

Too funny. When was covid again?

18 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Too funny. When was covid again?

OK. So it was in January of 2021. Preceded by a sharp drop in December 2020. What's your point?

(And, by the way, covid was still raging in 2021. A vaccine had only been approved for use in December of 2020))

13 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

OK. So it was in January of 2021. Preceded by a sharp drop in December 2020. What's your point?

(And, by the way, covid was still raging in 2021. A vaccine had only been approved for use in December of 2020))

The vaccine Biden tried to take credit for?

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

The vaccine Biden tried to take credit for?

You didn't answer my question? Deflecting much?

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

The vaccine Biden tried to take credit for?

And a pretty foolish comment considering that a vaccine was approved for use in December of 2020. But if you've got evidence that Biden tried to take credit for the vaccine, prove it.

10 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

And a pretty foolish comment considering that a vaccine was approved for use in December of 2020. But if you've got evidence that Biden tried to take credit for the vaccine, prove it.

Well, Biden was nothing if not foolish.

27 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Well, Biden was nothing if not foolish.

That's not evidence. Evidence is some sort of event or statement. All you're claiming apparently is that it's the kind of thing he might do because he's foolish. Whatever the validity of that assumption. you need actual proof. Clearly, you're not providing it because you've got nothing. Just like your question about the drop in oil production. Why did you raise it?.More nothing.

A basic primer or the use of Marxist doctrine.

The most reactionary and far-right sectors of the capitalist class have teamed up to back a wannabe dictator who’s managed to assemble a mass movement of contradictory forces behind him — outright racists and misogynists along with millions of disaffected and confused members of the working class. It’s the classic formula for Marxism.

But beyond the race hatred, the anti-immigrant hostility, the misogyny, and the homophobic/transphobic attacks, what else motivates significant blocs of voters to go over to the fascist side?

Georgi Dimitrov, one of the famed anti-fascist leaders of the 1930s, provided the beginnings of an answer:

“What is the source of the influence of fascism over the masses? Fascism is able to attract the masses because it demagogically appeals to their most urgent needs and demands. Fascism not only inflames prejudices that are deeply ingrained in the masses, but also plays upon the better sentiments of the masses, on their sense of justice and sometimes even on their revolutionary traditions. Fascism aims at the most unbridled exploitation of the masses but it approaches them with the most artful anti-capitalist demagogy, taking advantage of the deep hatred of the working people against the plundering bourgeoisie, the banks, the trusts, and financial magnates.”

Add to that the deep resentment that Trump supporters had toward law enforcement and the justice system, for going after their felonious master with such unbridled passion.

Nearly every 250 years an empire passes Into near obscurity. It truly feels like that is the moment for the US right now, it's been on the decline for at least three decades and nearly every policy that Trump enacts exacerbates the decline, and precipitates it quite dramatically. The very dumb Iran war is no exception.