What’s this “European socialist model” that Gingrich is trying to frighten American conservatives with? They make it sound bad, like, “Soviet communist model” or “German fascist model”. But last time I was there, “European socialism” was none of that. Why has Europe suddenly become a scary word in the American right’s political vocabulary? While it is reeling from the recession just like elsewhere, Europe has a strong (private sector) economy, a functioning health care system, in many ways a better infrastructure (think TGV!) than the US, a strong united currency, and last but not least, Europe has found a way for the (so far) peaceful coexistence of many peoples who speak dozens of different languages and have waged the bloodiest wars in history against each other. Is this what scares the GOP?
Personally, I’d be much more worried that under the present GOP leadership, America might end up following the Chinese corporatist model…