Los Angeles Times

Trump raises a new menace — socialism — and Democrats can't agree how to respond

When Democrats unveiled their Green New Deal to fight climate change, the Republican response was swift and strikingly uniform.

"A socialist wish list," said a spokesman for the national party.

"The socialist Democrats are off to a great start!" exclaimed a spokesman for the GOP's congressional campaign committee.

"Socialism may begin with the best of intentions, but it always ends with the Gestapo," chimed in Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, invoking Winston Churchill.

The echo was no accident. Rather, it marked a purposeful shift in rhetoric and political strategy as President Donald Trump and his party increasingly focus on his re-election and wield the S-word, socialism, as their preferred weapon.

The president faces

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