This New York Times reporter calls "socialist" a slur, but later in the column he admits that at least one United States senator, Vermont's Bernie Sanders, is a "self-identified socialist." Why doesn't the reporter compare Sanders's views with those of President Obama? If they share views (as I suspect they do), then isn't it accurate to describe President Obama as a socialist?
Addendum: Could it be that the reporter thinks that President Obama may not be labeled unless he (Obama) approves the label? That would explain why he labels Sanders but not Obama a socialist. Did journalists apply this standard to Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush?
