JAMES JOYNER: Barack Obama is a socialist. Well, not really, after that attention-getting opener: “He’s as close to a socialist as it gets in serious contenders for the presidency; but that’s not very close. He’s part of a long movement that has adopted some of the tools of socialism in an effort to make society better, with decidedly mixed results.”

Plus, Bredesen on Obama. “Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen says he disagrees with remarks by Barack Obama that some small-town voters are bitter over their economic circumstances and ‘cling to guns and religion’ as a result.” And, thoughts on Obama and culture:

I found “Dreams From My Father” a perplexing read. For me, the most moving part is the introduction to the new edition, in which he says that he really ought to have written about his mother — as if her “dreams” have more to do with what he is. Certainly, they should. He lived with her (and her parents), and the father abandoned him. Why does his book consign her to the background? His narrative is based on the idea that his absent father represents his true identity, and I had the sense that, for some reason, he decided that the story of embracing his patrilineal racial identity would make the best story. After all, he sold the book proposal based on the excitement created by his distinction as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. The story he tells culminates with a trip to Africa as an adult to meet the many relatives who had nothing to do with his upbringing. This he presents as the ultimate homecoming. From a feminist perspective, this troubled me.

There’s talk of socialism there, too.

Also, a Bittergate roundup.