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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Republicans cant afford to blow a once-in-a-generation campaign opportunity to tag all congressional Democrats as big government socialists by supporting President Bidens $3.5 trillion social welfare spending package.

To have an issue of this size involving $3 trillion in spending and about $3 trillion in taxes, and to have every single Democrat having voted lockstep in favor of it, gives you a weight of argument unlike anything Ive seen in recent years, Mr. Gingrich said in an interview with The Washington Times.

Polling conducted for the conservative American Majority project is clear and devastating for Democrats if Republicans define them as big-government socialists, he said.

Republican pollster John McLaughlin has found that Americans generally favor free market capitalism over big-government socialism by a margin of 59% to 16%. Among swing voters, that margin increases to 82% to 18%.

A strong majority of those swing voters already believe that Democrats $3.5 trillion spending bill defines the party as big-government socialists, the polling showed.

Given that view, Mr. Gingrich said, Republicans need to develop a new way of talking about the issue. He said Republicans cant allow some Democrats who voted for the package in August to portray themselves as moderates.

Every single Democrat in the House and Senate voted for what is literally Bernie Sanders bill, he said. Bernie Sanders, for Petes sake, is an open and avowed socialist. Its not slandering him to say that hes a socialist. So youre in a position where you can literally pin every single Democrat running for reelection against that reality.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee criticized Democrats on Wednesday for barreling through an additional $3.5 trillion (more like $5.5 trillion) in reckless spending in order to completely remake the U.S. economy into a socialist utopia.

Will Senate Democrats like Maggie Hassan [of New Hampshire], Mark Kelly [of Arizona], Raphael Warnock [of Georgia], Catherine Cortez Masto [of Nevada] and Michael Bennet [of Colorado] finally speak out against their partys inflation-inducing spending, or will they continue to turn a blind eye to the negative impacts their far-Left policies have on American families? the NRSC said.

A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the spending proposals in the package are popular.

Democrats will deliver on highly popular, once-in-a-generation investments in infrastructure, access to child care and health care, and energy independence for the American people, said DCCC spokesman Chris Taylor.

Americans agree: The uber-wealthy and corporations should pay their fair share to support these investments in Americas future.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are stuck shifting from one half-baked message to the next because [House Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy and his extremist circus have zero ideas and even less moral integrity to campaign on, he said.

In August, all House and Senate Democrats supported moving ahead with the framework of the spending package. The House is heading toward a final vote after several days of a Ways and Means Committee markup this week.

Never has our government wasted so much to kill so many American jobs, drive prices even higher and hook a whole new generation of the poor on government dependency, Rep. Kevin Brady, Texas Republican, said during the committees sessions.

Coming out of a pandemic, the last thing Americans need are higher prices, fewer jobs and the largest expansion of our welfare state in our lifetimes, he said.

Mr. Biden met Wednesday with Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who are resisting the total price tag.

Some Democrats also have expressed concern that the massive spending plan would make some incumbents vulnerable.

Democratic consultant Douglas Schoen has said pursuing the $3.5 trillion proposal will end up being a lose-lose situation for Democrats in the 2022 midterms.

Writing in The Hill, Mr. Schoen compared the situation to the 1994 and 2010 midterms, when Democrats lost heavily because of voters perceptions that they had overreached.

The conservative Club for Growth announced Monday that it would run TV ads in 10 House districts, including that of Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Illinois Republican, focusing on out-of-control spending, inflation, and the $3 trillion tax increase proposed by Biden and the Democrats.

The ads will run for one week starting Thursday, the first phase of a $2 million campaign opposing the Democrats plan.

The Club for Growth said the ads will run in nine districts held by persuadable Democrats and by Mr. Kinzinger, citing his numerous occasions of supporting Mr. Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, on spending.

Washington is out of touch with America, said Club for Growth President David McIntosh. Democrats and even some Republicans need to realize that their constituents will roundly reject the out-of-control spending and $3 trillion increase in taxes.

The Democrats targeted in the ad are Reps. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia, Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Susie Lee of Nevada, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, and Vicente Gonzalez, Henry Cuellar and Filemon Vela, all of Texas.

Mr. Gingrich said the $3.5 trillion package is a gold mine of campaign ammunition for Republicans in 2022.

The next phase is just having to sit down and work through all of the things in the bill that prove that its a dramatic expansion of government into your life, he said. You begin to have sort of a cradle-to-grave government power over your life.

Democrats votes for the package have given Republicans the opportunity of a lifetime to brand the Democratic Party so it becomes a minority for a generation or more, Mr. Gingrich wrote in a separate commentary at Gingrich360.com.

The test is now on the Republican side and in the conservative movement to see if they can rise to the opportunity, he said.

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Newt Gingrich: GOP will win in 2022 by targeting Democrats as 'big government socialists' - Washington Times

Failed Republican candidate Kimberly Klacik has refused to share the remaining funds from the $8 million she raised during her campaigns with other GOP contenders and said such calls were "socialism."

In a video uploaded onto Twitter on Sunday, Klacik, 39, said she would not share any of the money she raised with other Republican candidates who she said "didn't work as hard."

Speaking inside a car, Klacik said in the 28-second clip: "So, those of you that are mad that I made $8 million in my campaign, well I worked really hard and that's how we made that money.

"There are other candidates that didn't make that money because they didn't work as hard. But, I know you want me - for some reason - to redistribute that wealth from my campaign to other candidates that have more of a winnable district."

She continued: "Well, guess what, that's called socialism. I have more news for you, you are not a Republican. Stay out of my mentions."

The video has since been viewed more than 178,900 times as of Monday morning.

Hundreds of commenters shared their opinion about Klacik's statement under the video, with many agreeing with the former Republican candidate.

There were many others, however, who disagreed with Klacik's comments with fellow Republican candidate Beatrice Cardenas hitting out at the businesswoman.

In a reply-tweet, the former Congressional candidate for California's 27th district said: "This candidate-turned-celebrity culture is really taking a twisted turn. Keep your heads down and keep working if you didn't win. The people want serious candidates, not reality stars."

While Klacik won Maryland's 7th Congressional District Republican primary by a landslide, she was convincingly beaten by Democratic incumbent Kweisi Mfume, who secured 71.6 percent of the vote. Klacik came second with 92,825 votes, or 28.0 percent.

According to the non-profit OpenSecrets, which tracks money in U.S. politics, Klacik raised a total of $8,296,845 and spent $7,499,454 on the campaign.

Klacik's campaign has an estimated 803,568 cash on hand to spend in upcoming political contests. Klacik doesn't mention in the video that most of the $8 million has been spent.

Newsweek has contacted Klacik for comment.

Earlier this year, Klacik responded to claims from fellow conservative commentator Candace Owens that she used to work as a stripper and hired a Democratic operative for her election campaign.

The feud started on June 18 after Owens said that President Joe Biden making Juneteenth a federal holiday was the Democrats trying to "repackage segregation."

Klacik responded in a now-deleted tweet: "Believe it or not, many in 'Black America' are very aware the fight is classism rather [than] racism.

"Unfortunately, the loudest mouths with the largest platforms represent the majority. This might come to a shock to you because of your lack of engagement with black people."

It led Owens to release a 44-minute video where she made sensational claims about Klacik.

Klacik has since filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens, where she has sought $20 million in damages.

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Kimberly Klacik Says It Is 'Socialism' to Share Remaining Cash From $8M Campaign With Fellow Republicans - Newsweek

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As Afghanistan is burning withAmerican citizens left behind theenemy lines by Joe Biden, at the mercy of themurderous Taliban Washingtons socialists dont sleep.

Having sunk $2.2trillion of yourmoney into yet another failed nation-building project, the leftists,headed up by Confiscator in Chief Bernie Sanders, are conjuringupadditional schemes of how to leech another $3.5 trillion fromhard-workingAmericans. Sanders is dead set on delivering on hisgoal stated in August 2020,"We must first elect Biden, then keeppushing country further left."As an immigrant to America froma socialist country, I am distressedabout the monumental shift of my adoptedhomeland toward socialism. Iam compelled to warn my fellow Americans whatsocialism is reallyabout.

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL: AMERICAN WORKERS VS. SOCIALIST STATE HOW LONG CAN WE EXPECT THEM TO CARRY THE LOAD?

Let me put in context what the promises of freestuff andequality for all, by elitists like Sanders, really mean.Socialism is an evil system, incompatiblewith freedom anddemocracy. It doesnt work because it is based on unrealistictheoriesthat ignore human nature. It has failed everywhere. And it could alsodestroy America.

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Socialism idealisticallylooks for government to create completeequality in society and to endsufferinga noble-sounding idea. Toachieve this goal, the government promisesto give everyone lifesnecessities, regardless of peoples merit for pay ordesire to work.However, it must find the money for all these necessities.Historically, socialist governments have confiscated wealth andincome to payfor them. Ultimately, the government runs everything.

Lessons I learned as a childare worth repeating to youngerAmericans today. The first problem withsocialism is not only thatsocialists eventually run out of other peoplesmoney, as MargaretThatcher once famously said, it is also that socialistsocieties stopproducing wealth altogether. If individuals cannot keep thewealththey create, they stop creating it. Most people make the rationaldecision: do mediocre work, because the same amount is paidregardless how hardthey work.

Once the state kills entrepreneurship,the society will stopinnovating. Do you know why Americans have a potatopeeler,garlic crusher and apple cutter in their kitchens, for example, whileRussians use a knife for everything? Because there was no financialincentivefor Soviet citizens to create them. The same logic,tragically, applies tocreating blood pressure medicine and cures forcancer.The second problem withsocialism is that, as scarcity of goodsgrows, those in charge of wealthredistribution start taking care oftheir needs first, rationing goods andservices for everyone exceptthemselves. There comes a point when the societysimply doesntproduce enough necessities, forcing ordinary people not part ofthestate apparatus to cheat and steal to survive. Two distinct classes ofpeople form: those who are part of the system (the privileged) andeveryoneelse (the oppressed).

In the Soviet Union, theCommunist Party elites (we called themapparatchiki,because they werepart of the stateapparatus) had everything, and everyone else struggled. Welacked such basics as toothpaste, pantyhose, toilet paper andsanitaryproducts. Party members, who were less than 10% of the Soviet adultpopulation, shopped at differentgrocery stores, were treated at differentmedical facilities, andhad other privileges. Everyone, for example, had "free"medical care, but you only saw a doctor if there was anemergency.Socialism is inhumane, forcingpeople to do unethical things out ofdesperation. My mother was stealing meatfrom the food factorywhere she worked to feed our family. Our family was notparticularly poor by Soviet standards, but there was nothing to buy.There weresimply not enough goods and services for everyone,although they were alltechnically "free."

During the past few years, Ihave increasingly felt like socialism isresurfacing in America.

A third problem withsocialism is the states complete control overindividuals. In fact, beingcalled an "individualist" has a derogatoryconnotation in Russian. Undersocialism, since the state "takes care"of its people by providing everything"for free," it plays thedominant role in all spheres of life. It tells youwhat to do, where tolive, what to wear, what to say and what to think. Itcensorseverything.

There are laws and rules for everything. There is no freepress, literature or cinematography. No religion. No presumption ofinnocence.No rights. No property. Suppression of dissent is routineand brutal.Eventually, people start to self-censor to avoidpersecution. You speak andappear to think "correctly."

Socialism creates a societyof "one-percenters" and "ninety-nine-percenters," except the one-percenters arethe ones who redistributewealth, not the ones who create it. Having lived in acountry whereeverything was "free" but nothing was available, I am terrifiedwhenI hear proposals for a single-payer medical system, "Medicare-for-all," or"free college for all."

During the past few years, Ihave increasingly felt like socialism isresurfacing in America. The rise ofpervasive political correctness,growing intolerance toward religious people,and alienation of andeven attacks on people whose views dont conform to themainstream orthodoxy remind me of my youth in the USSR. I findmyself repeatingthe same admonitions to my children that mymother frequently gave my sisterand me: "Dont believe everythingyou hear on TV, think for yourself, and keepyour and your familysviews private.

Ironically, just like myparents tried to shield me from untruths andbrainwashing by Soviet schools byexplaining at our dinner table thetruth behind Soviet indoctrination, Ivefound myself pulling mychildren from public schools and placing them intoreligious schoolsin order to avoid heavy and biased government-sponsoredindoctrination.

It was painful for me to watch my little ones cominghome andspouting how oppressive America is when I knowfirsthand what oppression reallymeans. I also could not bearwatching my kids coming home sad and confusedbecause they weresimply not old enough to be bombarded with all thesex-relatedgarbage that the school pushed on them under the rubric of "familyeducation." Family education, in my view, truly belongs within thefamily.

Big Tech and the mainstreammedias taking on the roles of thegovernments mouthpieces and agents ofinfluence is frightening.Silencing those who express "incorrect" opinions byde-platformingthem on social media, banning their books, and blacklisting themtoensure they cannot make a livingsimply because they have strayedfrom the"party line"is the method of totalitarian states to suppressdissent andensure total control.

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I sincerely hope more andmore of our citizens wake up andrecognize these markers of a Sovietization ofAmerica so that we canregain the freedom of the America that my mother sent meto at ayoung age. I hope Americans keep the right to express unpopularviewswithout fear of being ostracized by fellow citizens or losingtheir jobs,continue to enjoy presumption of innocence and dueprocess, and be free fromunlawful government surveillance forhaving "incorrect" politics.Socialism inevitably resultsin stagnation and tyranny. If we dontwant our nation to join the ranks offailed and oppressive socialistcountries, we must fight socialism in America withall weve got.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM REBEKAH KOFFLER

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Rebekah Koffler: Socialism in America a warning to my adopted homeland about the evils of this system - Fox News

A few months ago, the question of the prospects for the return of socialism seemed ludicrous and irrational. Nevertheless, especially in the aftermath of the fierce battle of coronavirus, socialism has reappeared, even if it is in different forms than it was in the 19thand 20thCenturies.

Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic made people hope once again for the return of the role of the state and its government institutions to get out of this crisis. Especially since the private sector and businessmen do not care at all about the values of human development, care, and protection. The values of capitalism are concerned only with competition and material gain, and nothing else. For this reason, many politicians and economists resisted the measures to prevent coronavirus, which would surely cause great losses to the capitalists, who decided to sacrifice the lives of workers and all human values for the sake of material gains only.

Most importantly, the coronavirus epidemic has clearly shown the negative aspects of the capitalist system, especially in the health sector. The failure of the health system in the West to deal with the coronavirus is a natural result after Western countries abandoned their responsibilities in a fundamental matter such as human health, by privatizing it and leaving it as a commodity subject to the forces of the commercial market, with only deficient health insurance systems. This led to insanely high prices for treatment and medicines and to a severe shortage of strategic medical materials that private hospitals do not care about storing, as they may not be used at times without taking into account emergency cases. This is what the coronavirus pandemic has revealed and made the West, with all its economic capabilities, unable to provide the necessary medical care to its citizens.

These reasons led the Western government once again to blatantly intervene in the market, as both the United States and Germany allocated a huge package of aid to support the failing companies. France also announced that the government is ready to propose all means to support major companies, including the nationalization of some of these companies. Italy also announced the possibility of nationalizing Air Italy and establishing a new company run by the Ministry of Economy.

This is not the first time Western countries have intervened in the market. This also happened in 2008, after the mortgage crisis and bankruptcy of financial institutions in the United States nearly destroyed the global financial system. At that time, the ultra-liberal Bush administration had to swallow what is considered the deadly poison, which is state interference in the economy, by injecting a trillion dollars into the hardened arteries of the American economy.

To a large extent, the great similarity between the 2008 crisis and the global economic crisis due to coronavirus today is what puts capitalism in a critical situation, as it has been proven to everyone that this system is incapable of facing crises and is vulnerable to collapse under any circumstances. Therefore, the question about the future of the capitalist system, especially after the end of the Coronavirus crisis, is the most important question for everyone today.

Perhaps this question is what made The Lehman Trilogy by Italian novelist and playwright Stefano Massini one of the most important plays that will be shown on Broadway next September. This is as the play deals with the story of the most famous family and company that changed the economy and even the whole world but collapsed due to the financial crisis in 2008. However, the play does not focus on this turbulent time. Instead, the writer turns the companys history into a lament about the tragedy of American capitalism.

Today, capitalism stands at a crossroads as the concept of the role of the state is beginning to resurface. Certainly, the coronavirus will not end the capitalist system, but it will undoubtedly reshape it. Some companies will disappear, others will join larger companies, and some will be acquired by the state to save capital investments. Thus, this epidemic will strengthen the role of the state and enhance nationalism, as all governments will certainly adopt new measures to get out of this crisis and avoid future crises.

Dr. Marwa El-Shinawy: Assistant Professor at International American University for Specialized Studies (IAUS)

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Opinion| Socialism defeats capitalism in the time of coronavirus - Daily News Egypt

ULYANOVSK - When Airat Gibatdinov was born in 1986, Mikhail Gorbachevs Perestroika had already set the Soviet Union on its path to oblivion.

But now, the local lawmaker and deputy head of Russias revived communist party in Ulyanovsk the Volga riverside hometown of the U.S.S.R.s founding father Vladimir Lenin has dedicated his life to resurrecting a Soviet socialism he barely remembers.

We are the only party that fights for the working class, said Gibatdinov in an interview at the Russian Communist Partys Ulyanovsk headquarters, an unassuming warren of offices decked with red flags and Lenin portraits sandwiched between a high-end coffee joint and a hookah bar.

I hope well see a new Russian socialism in my lifetime.

Though widely considered part of the tame, Kremlin-loyal systemic opposition, the Communist Party (KPRF) still the countrys second largest political organization has seen a modest uptick in its support ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

With the pro-Kremlins United Russia blocs polling sinking to historic lows ahead of the vote for the Duma lower house of parliament, the Communists are hoping to turn popular discontent over falling living standards into a strong showing at the polls, including in cities like Ulyanovsk.

Once the leading opposition to Boris Yeltsins free market reforms in the 1990s, the KPRF has long since become part of Russias political establishment.

Though the partys first, and so far only leader, Gennady Zyuganov only narrowly lost to Yeltsin in the 1996 presidential election, over the past two decades he has taken a more loyalist direction, offering rhetorical opposition to the Kremlin while remaining broadly supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Its a shift that has been accompanied by a steady decline in the partys national standing.

Once the countrys largest single political force with broad nationwide support, the Communists now rely on an aging, Soviet nostalgic voter base of between 10 and 15%, concentrated in a handful of strongholds.

Ulyanovsk, a city of 600,000 that spans a picturesque bend in the Volga river 400 miles east of Moscow, is one of them.

Previously known as Simbirsk, Ulyanovsk has for almost a century borne the name of its most famous son, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov better known as Lenin.

Even though this increasingly prosperous provincial center today bears little resemblance to the quiet backwater where Lenin was born in 1870, and left, never to return, at seventeen, the Bolshevik leader remains a ubiquitous presence in Ulyanovsk.

In the city center, a string of sprawling museum complexes commemorate the life and achievements of Lenin, and his steely-eyed visage adorns craft beer bars catering to Ulyanovsks student population.

On the main square, Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University bears the name of Lenins father Ilya Ulyanov, a provincial school inspector who died when the future revolutionary leader was sixteen.

For Ulyanovsks communists, their citys link with the revered Soviet founder is a source of continued pride.

The one thing everyone knows about Ulyanovsk is that its where Vladimir Iliych Lenin was born, said Gibatdinov, using Lenins patronymic as a sign of respect.

Even though they dont teach the history of Lenin and the revolution properly anymore, something has remained in our mentality. People here have a very strong sense of fairness.

Its a revolutionary heritage that lives on even three decades after the Soviet Union collapsed. At the last parliamentary election in 2016, Ulyanovsk was one of a handful of cities where the KPRF defeated United Russia to win the local Duma district.

But Ulyanovsk is also a microcosm of the wider dilemmas facing Russias modern communists, who must reconcile a revolutionary ideology with their status as a systemic pillar of the political establishment.

The citys State Duma deputy Alexei Kurinny is a relative radical within the KPRF who publicly praised jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalnys personal bravery on his return to Russia in January.

By contrast, the regions communist governor, Alexei Russkikh appointed by Putin in April after his unpopular United Russia predecessor was fired is widely seen as Kremlin-loyal, and his nomination a reward for the party leaderships continued cooperation with the authorities.

The communists are a very complex, divided party, said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik, a political consultancy. The senior cadres understand what they have to lose and play by the Kremlins rules.

But many of the younger officials in the regions want a more confrontational approach to the authorities.

Today, there are signs that the Communists comfortable coexistence with the Kremlin may be coming to an end.

Even as polls show the KPRF set to almost double its 2016 vote share amid anxieties around sliding incomes and an eroding social safety net, the authorities have denied a string of high-profile communists registration as candidates.

In July, Pavel Grudinin an agribusiness magnate who came second to Putin in the 2018 presidential election was barred from running for parliament in September.

Though Grudinin was formally banned for having failed to properly disclose overseas investments, many communists, including Grudinin himself, saw it as a politically-motivated move against a popular and independent-minded candidate.

It was a story repeated throughout the lead-up to the polls, with would-be communist candidates including Saratov regional deputy and popular videoblogger Nikolai Bondarenko and influential Moscow party boss Valery Rashkin threatened with exclusions of their own.

For many in the party, the wave of bans is aimed at quashing a defiant atmosphere in parts of the KPRF increasingly unwilling to toe the Kremlins line.

The mood in the party is getting more radical, said Yevgeny Stupin, a Communist Moscow City Duma deputy who has been facing efforts to strip him of his office after he attended protests in support of Navalny in the winter.

United Russias ratings are low enough that they need to disqualify us to have a chance of winning.

Though critics say Russian elections have rarely been free or fair in recent years, systemic opposition parties have at least been able to win from time to time.

But with controversial new electronic and early voting schemes that some fear will make falsification easier than ever, opposition-minded communists increasingly doubt that victory is possible, regardless of public opinion.

Given whats happening at the federal level, with early voting, electronic voting, its becoming more difficult for us, said Gibatdinov, who is running for the Duma in an Ulyanovsk region district.

Of course, they can just rig it.

But above all, candidates of all stripes must contend with deep-seated apathy among the Russian electorate.

A recent survey by Kremlin-linked pollster VTsIOM put interest in politics at a seventeen-year low only six weeks from election day.

At Ulyanovsks various Lenin shrines, there is a steady stream of visitors but little evidence of revolutionary zeal ahead of the polls.

Were very far from politics here, said Olga Shaleva, a tour guide at the citys Lenin House-Museum, the restored mansion in which the young Vladimir Ulyanov spent his early years.

People visit our museum out of interest in history, not political beliefs.

According to some experts, a low turnout in September could play into United Russias hands.

Though the ruling partys polling remains mired below 30% amid corruption scandals and fallout from an unpopular 2018 pension reform, it is still much higher than any other party, with the second place KPRF attracting only 16%.

If turnout is as low as expected, United Russia is likely to retain its two-thirds majority in the State Duma, even with a much reduced vote.

The Kremlin wants the elections to be as boring as possible, said political analyst Stanovaya.

Its in their interests that turnout is low, and that opposition-minded voters stay at home.

But for the citys communist stalwarts, despite voter apathy, fraudulent elections and the Kremlins screw tightening, elections are still worth contesting, even in an ever more undemocratic Russia.

The people have been brainwashed against us for years. said Gibatdinov. It may be difficult, but we can still win.

The leftward turn is inevitable.

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'The Leftward Turn Is Inevitable': In Lenin's Hometown, Russian Communists Strive for Soviet Revival - The Moscow Times