Lawrence O'Donnell took time out on his Monday program to further explain why he calls himself a "socialist."
O'Donnell has repeatedly used the term to define his political leanings.
On Monday, he said that he has called himself a socialist since he "first read the definition of socialism in the first economics class I took in college." However, he stressed that he didn't believe in pure socialism. Being a socialist, he said, didn't mean "that we choose the socialist option every time, but we do consider socialism a reasonable option under certain circumstances." Those circumstances, he said, included things like Medicare or Social Security.
O'Donnell said he disliked "bad socialism"--such as agriculture subsidies--as much as he disliked "bad capitalism"--such as for-profit health care--and that he was "as much a capitalist as I am a socialist." However, he explained that, since America was the only advanced country where socialist is "considered a dirty word, I feel more compelled to stand up for the socialist side of me."
O'Donnell then played an extended clip of Bill Maher trying to sell socialism to skeptical Americans.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.