US Rep. Mo Brooks retracts 'socialist' remark
Published: Saturday, April 16, 2011, 8:30 AM

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville withdrew a statement he made Friday morning on the House floor about other members of Congress being socialists, but he said later he did not regret his remarks and thought Democrats who objected to the label were being "thin-skinned."

Brooks, a Republican in his first term, was at the microphone opposing an alternative 2012 federal budget from the Congressional Progressive Caucus when he made the statement that drew the objection.

"Folks, we are here today forcing this issue because America is at risk. We are at risk of insolvency and bankruptcy because the socialist members of this body choose to spend money that we do not have," Brooks said.

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., interrupted and asked that Brooks' remarks be "taken down," a rare disciplinary action in which the clerk reports what was said and the person presiding over the House session determines whether the remarks were inappropriate.

Brooks, who was ordered to take a seat, said he was given two choices at that moment -- either ask to have the offending comment stricken from the record, or defend his remarks and wait until later in the day for a formal ruling. He said he chose to withdraw the use of the word "socialist" so he could continue his speech.

Ellison accepted the withdrawal, and Brooks moved on.

House rules on decorum specify that members should not impugn the motives of other members, use offensive language or make comments that are otherwise deemed unparliamentary, according to the GOP majority.

About an hour after his remarks, Brooks returned to the microphone and spoke briefly of his degree in economics from Duke University and the difference between the economic theories of free enterprise and socialism.

"Let's talk about socialism for a moment. It's greater and greater government micromanaging of our lives. It's higher taxes to pay for it," Brooks said. "Let's talk about free enterprise. Free enterprise is belief in the individual, in freedom, in opportunity. It's what has helped make America one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen."

He said the Republican budgets were based on free enterprise.

In an interview afterward, Brooks said, "People could quite clearly infer that socialism is what the other guys are promoting." He added that he didn't think his use of the socialist label violated the rule, he didn't mention any members by name, and he did not regret using it.

"I was making a point only about an economic system," Brooks said.

All the members of the U.S. House are members of either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. In the Senate, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is an independent and describes himself as a democratic-socialist who identifies with the economic policies of places such as Finland and Sweden.

A general definition of socialism is an economic system with central government management of the production of goods and services for the overall good of society.

In a similar dust-up two years ago, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, claimed there were 17 socialists in Congress. Sanders, in response at the time, accused conservative Republicans of intentionally trying to blur the lines between socialism and communism.

Brooks said anyone who took offense at his use of the word socialist was "thin-skinned" and probably guilty of not knowing the difference between a socialist economic system and a communist political system.
http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2011/04/us ... _soci.html