I see a lot of conservatives on TV saying that we shouldn't call Obama a socialist or a Marxist. Just because he was raised by Marxists, and spend his early adulthood surrounded by socialists doesn't mean he is a socialist. I look at it a bit different. Suppose a socialist was elected president of the United States; how would he proceed? The Constitution of the United States limits action considerably, so he would need to gradually chip away at the Constitution. He would try to take over much of the economy of the country. He would work to increase executive power and to diminish the power of the legislature. It seems to me that Obama has done precisely what a socialist would do. He has taken over much of the auto industry. He has caused passage of a misnamed stimulus package that rewarded his supporters rather than stimulating the economy. He is asking for legislation that would allow him (through the Treasury Secretary) to take over any company that he chooses, fire the leaders, seize the assets, and disband the company, all without judicial action, and without resource. Obama has done these things, so it is clear to me that he is some sort of collectivist. Maybe he is a neo-socialist, but he is some sort of socialist.