To say that President Obama is a Socialist will put you on the fringes of civil discourse. “The left has portrayed the assertion ‘Obama is a socialist’ as the product of hallucinogenic tea,” as James Taranto tells it. Of course, President Obama is a Socialist as are a number of congressmen and millions of Americans. There is a difference between a self-conscious socialist and someone who operates as a socialist.

What is a Socialist? Here’s a typical definition: Socialism is “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

Of course, we’re not there yet, but we’re getting close. And while we’re not a socialist nation at this moment in time, it does not mean that President Obama doesn’t want to take us there. It seems that he’s doing everything within his power to make it happen sooner rather than later.

Like the typical socialist, President Obama wants socialism for everybody else but not for himself. So don’t be fooled by the opulence of the White House. Socialists are notoriously hypocritical.

Consider Elle McPherson, whose main claim to fame is that she’s beautiful. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she’s worth around $45 million. McPherson loves President Obama, and why not? She’s a self-proclaimed socialist. Here’s the exchange she had with Howard Stern:

HOWARD STERN: Who should be the next President of the United States Elle MacPherson, go ahead.

ELLE MACPHERSON: I think Obama’s going to do it.

STERN: You like Obama?

MACPHERSON: Yeah, I’m living in London and I’m socialist. What do you expect?

STERN: And you’re living in London and you sense what other foreigners feel. Do they like him?

MACPHERSON: I think foreigners like him. He’s very popular.

STERN: Don’t we look good having a black president and everything? Makes us kind of cool.

MACPHERSON: I think it’s more about his policy. But you know there are I understand that there are a lot of people who don’t, you know, don’t want change. “We want change. We want change.” And he says, “I’ll implement change,” and you go, “Oh, actually, I don’t bleeping feel like I want change. It’s too difficult.”

It takes a socialist to know a socialist. Like President Obama, McPherson is an “other-guy” socialist. An “other-guy” socialist wants an economic system that keeps competitors out. “Other-guy” socialists live above the common people because they believe they are superior. A free economy gives everybody an equal chance at success. Socialism creates class divisions and distinctions. “Other-guy” socialists want and work for socialism for everybody else while they live in their gated communities far from the masses. Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro are perfect examples. They are worth billions of dollars and yet grind down their people in the name of socialistic equity.