To understand this accusation we need to know exactly what socialism is. Let's look at the definition of the word according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Socialism:
1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
That doesn't sound like any of Obama's plans or policies to me, and believe me, I know them inside and out. His health care plan doesn't even require a mandate for coverage except for children. There is absolutely nothing in Obama's voting record resembling socialism either other than the recent bipartisan bailout bill which was also voted for by McCain. So, where did this accusation come from? They took one quote from Obama out of context when he was speaking with the now infamous "Joe the Plumber" and said:
"It's not that I want to punish your success," the Illinois senator told Wurzelbacher. "I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success, too. My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. . . . I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
That's right, that one quote about spreading the wealth around (taken out of context) is the basis for their entire claim that Obama is a socialist.
When Obama said it's good to "spread the wealth around" all he meant was that he's going to let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 5% of Americans expire. This will shift some of the tax burden off of the middle class and increase income taxes for those making over $250K a year up a whopping 3%. That's it, not some grand sinister plan to destroy our capitalist democracy. It's a fair plan (the same as under Clinton), and when you look at the history of our tax system, Obama is actually to the right politically of Presidents Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, and Eisenhower on how much the wealthiest Americans should pay in taxes.
Interestingly, socialists don't think Obama is a socialist:
Brian Moore is the Socialist Party USA candidate for president who claims that Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, is not a socialist as the McCain-Palin camp would have us believe.
Experts don't think Obama is a socialist. From McClatchy:
Favoring higher tax rates for the wealthy than for the less fortunate isn't socialism, and if it is, then the U.S. has been a socialist country for nearly a century, under both Democrats and Republicans.
"The answer is clearly no, Senator Obama is not a socialist," said Paul Beck, a professor of political science at The Ohio State University. "We've had a progressive tax system for some time, and both Republicans and Democrats have bought into it."
From the Chicago Tribune:
"Obama is about as far from being a socialist as Joe The Plumber is from being a rocket scientist," said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. "I think it's hard for McCain to call Obama a socialist when George Bush is nationalizing banks."
And this from Bruce Carruthers, a sociology professor at Northwestern University: "Obama is like a center-liberal Democrat, and he is certainly not looking to overthrow capitalism. My goodness, he wouldn't have the support of someone like The Wizard of Omaha, Warren Buffet, if he truly was going to overthrow capitalism."
Even this very anti-Obama wingnut says Obama is NOT a socialist:
Calling Obama a “socialist” simply isn’t logical. He doesn’t share the belief that industries should be nationalized by the government or even taken over by the workers as many American Marxists espouse. He may not be as wedded to the free market as a conservative but he doesn’t want to get rid of it. He wants to regulate it. He wants “capitalism with a human face.” He wants to mitigate some of the effects of the market when people lose. This is boilerplate Democratic party liberalism not radical socialism.
The claim that Obama is a socialist is just another fear-mongering technique to scare people into thinking that he is somehow anti-American and it is a despicable tactic. I have to say, it's no surprise from John McCain's dishonorable campaign that has been full of lies, smears and character attacks while ignoring the problems we face as a country. So, how about getting past the fear-mongering and try to focus on the real issues people? Have you ever heard the term "united we stand, divided we fall"? Then stop trying to divide our nation just to win an election with baseless accusations such as Obama is a socialist, because it is simply not true.
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