I wrote a piece over at my other blog on the importance of not letting the hard-left define the terms of the debate. One excerpt:
Whenever anyone claims that a government program or a particular ideological position is “socialism” there is an immediate chorus of condescension from people who are suddenly highly concerned with a strict definition of the word. I have noticed that socialists of all degrees, from the hardcore Marxist down to the local Obama supporter who greedily wants something for nothing, have been increasingly running interference for the Left on the use of the S-word. A good look at it shows that there are two basic groups of people who will reliably mock accusations of socialism, one side pathetic and the other sinister.
Please go give the whole thing a read: Don’t Allow Socialists to Define the Terms.