Yet, on occasion — and especially as biennial elections approach, Republicans in Congress like to make a show of their fidelity to the Constitution and enmity toward socialism.

The posturing is a sham for most the elected Republican politicians. But, hey, some chumps will buy the propaganda, the thinking goes. Proceeding through the charade is worth the effort, Republican congressional leadership calculates, to scoop up more votes.

On September 1, the House approved H.Res. 1490. The resolution concluded with declarations including that the House "recommits itself to upholding the Constitution of the United States" and "condemns and denounces socialism in all its forms, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States."

By including a condemnation of the Democratic Party related group Democratic Socialists of America, along with commitments regarding particular elections-related legislation with which many Democratic members disagree, the Republican leadership was able to ensure that nearly all Democratic House members voted against the resolution while it received the support of all Republican members who cast votes on the matter. These inclusions turned the resolution vote very partisan, enhancing its usefulness for Republican candidates who will refrain from mentioning the nuance. "Republicans are the only ones in DC preventing the dumping of the Constitution and the implementing of socialism," Republicans across the country will be proclaiming as election day approaches.

The reality is that, no matter the message promoted in the resolution adopted last week, Republican Congress members have obviously been neither strong fiends of the Constitution nor strong enemies of socialism. As Laurence M. Vance has ably argued in articles at the Future of Freedom Foundation, congressional Republicans have a long record of steadfastly supporting the maintenance and expansion of socialism while repeatedly failing to adhere to constitutional limitations on government power.