It’s Not Communism Just Because They Say It Is

Know Your Definitions!

by Doug Smith

September 19, 2026

It’s a very old playbook, one the Republicans are trotting out again this year, using the fear of communism to get their base energized to vote.  Trump has publicly used the term over 100 times in the past two months to test whether the term could boost turnout for the November midterms.  Years ago, Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan both used this line of attack during the Cold War.  In his July Fourth speech to Americans marking the 250th anniversary of the country's Declaration of Independence from Britain, Trump warned against the rise of communism, likening it to a cancer that had to be removed. 

When a string of left-wing Democratic candidates won primary contests this summer, he started calling some of the victorious candidates "hardcore, godless communists."  Many progressive candidates argue that tackling affordability means taxing the rich, cutting military spending, opposing U.S. funding to the Israeli government, ending the Iran War, expanding ⁠government-funded social programs, raising the minimum wage, and abolishing ICE. 

What Republicans are counting on is the ignorance of their voters. 

How difficult can it be to Google words like “communism”, “socialism”, and “democratic socialism” to see if they are being used correctly?  I’ve attached a chart to give some basic definitions which I hope you will find helpful.  Sadly, informing the public about the definitions of these very different terms is not what Republicans have in mind. 

Their purpose is FEAR.  Fear is one of the most potent motivations when it comes to voting.  It works!  Historically, politicians of all stripes have used it effectively.  And it doesn’t even have to be rational.  For example, in all of Trump’s tirades about communists, has even one of these progressive candidates been proved to be running as a communist?  Of course not!  There are exactly ZERO Democratic candidates in the Unites States running on a platform of bringing communism to America! 

He’s counting on his gullible followers to simply accept his accusation as truth.  Fox and other right-wing media sources are reliably echoing his message, thus infecting millions of the fearful faithful with this outright lie.  Will it again work this year?  Who knows?

I can tell you that there is something more powerful than fear, and that is HOPE.  Hope is what’s motivating all those young voters in other states to cast ballots for candidates who promise to rein in our ruinous inflation, make billionaires start paying their fair share, and reignite the American Dream.  They believe these candidates can bring real change to their lives, create a true safety net for those in need, and boot out those who profit from human misery.  I live in hope that voters here in Iowa will finally see that ten years of Republican domination of state government has been ruinous for them.  Their legacy is a $1 billion state budget deficit for the coming fiscal year! 

It’s time for change, up and down the ballot!  No more votes for Republicans!  They had their chance, if they had answers to the problems Iowans are facing, we’d know it by now.  Their only goal has been to cut taxes for the richest among them and then distract citizens from noticing that by turning people against one another. 

We’re done demonizing LGBTQ+ Iowans!  We’re not going to ban another book!  We’re not going to ignore systemic racism!  We’re not going to stand idly by while women are robbed of their rights, even the right to vote!  We’re not going to abandon cancer victims in their fight for Medicaid coverage!  We’re not going to roll over for Big Ag as they pollute our water!

Have the boldness to hold onto that hope!  A change of leadership in Des Moines, and in Washington DC, will bring positive CHANGE to your life and the lives of all of us.  All we need to do is WORK towards it.  Vote, of course, but also help the candidates with whom you agree, either with financial or volunteer support.  Don’t give in to fear.  Do everything in your power to turn your HOPE into REALITY! 

Visit www.blackhawkdemocrats.com to read about each candidate and to learn how to volunteer your time and talents.