A Clip Of Tucker Carlson Agreeing With The Basic Principles Of Democratic Socialism Has Resurfaced, And People Are Amused

In June 2018, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handily defeated a 10-year incumbent in the Democratic primary for New York’s 14th congressional district. That sparked discussion of a party shift toward embracing Democratic Socialism, which must have struck fear into the heart of Tucker Carlson, given AOC’s immense popularity. Well, Carlson soon found himself on-air admitting that he’s not opposed to basic principles of Democratic Socialism during a discussion with Harvard professor and philosopher Cornel West. Given that Carlson’s been behaving in a particularly virulent manner lately — including how he’s defended the Kenosha vigilante teen murderer because of the “property rights” often championed by the far-right (like people are really trying to take those rights away) — the 2018 clip has now resurfaced.

This clip is part of a larger discussion of DNC Chair Tom Perez’s characterization of AOC as the future of the Democratic party. Carlson seemed concerned the “radical left” is going “mainstream,” and he asked West to appear on air to explain the movement. Carlson, of course, cited the failure of Venezuela, and he wished to explore whether Democratic Socialism was aggressively picking away at the Democratic party. West, who is a leading member of the Democratic Socialists of America, explained that, yes, there are different forms of the branch around the world, some successful and some not.

In this mini-clip that’s now circulating anew, West needed less than a minute to boil down the essence of his argument.

“The fundamental commitment is to the dignity of ordinary people and to make sure they can live lives of decency,” West explained. “It is not an ‘ism,’ brother. It’s about decency, it’s about fairness and it’s about the accountability of the powerful.”

Carlson’s response? “If that is what democratic socialism is, then I am basically on board,” he said. “I do think that ordinary people, middle class people, ought to have dignity. And I think that our current systems make it hard for them to have dignity.”

Since 2020 is such a dumpster fire (and Tucker’s making a spectacle of himself lately by blaming Lindsey Graham for Trump dishing on his COVID lies), it’s not too surprising to see that this clip is circulating afresh. And people dig it.

Happy Friday, everyone.