Karl Marx was a man of the 19th Century. As such, his philosophical and economic models are less refined than later thinkers who had the benefit of more historical experience, While it is probably impossible to drag Democratic Socialist politicians (Bernie Sanders, ¡Ocasio! She Guevara, etc.) into the 21st Century, perhaps they can be induced to consider basing their programs on the work of 20th-Century Marxists.
In one sense, they already do. They keep wanting to try the same failed “solutions” to nonexistent problems. That strategy models Chico’s economic behavior; he squandered his earnings and kept betting on the wrong horses. Clearly, Groucho’s approach was better. His cheerfully irreverent approach to the facts (“How the elephant got in my pajamas …”) and willingness to deal with them usually led to desirable outcomes.
However, the correct model for them is Harpo. They should just shut up and let us laugh at them.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Beto, Bernie, and Hillary!
In the late 80s there was a Marxist-Humanist League group on the campus where I was at the time. They were the usual grim bunch. I lived in a big off-campus house and one of the group members lived with 10 others of us and they held ‘meetings’ there once in a while, trying to determine who was the most pure Marxist-Humanist I think. (The two main leaders were the usual children of very wealthy parents, and most of the others were upper-middle-class suburban types. None ever had any calluses that I noticed.)
Anyway, they got a lot of play in the campus newspaper, so some of my friends and I started the Marxist-Humorist League, dedicated to the political philosophy of the Marx Brothers, especially the least known one, Karlo. We claimed he had fled England and earned a living from the residuals of having posed for the picture on the Left side of the Smith Bros Cough Drops box.
We started to get some traction in the paper as well. Boy, were the Commies p*ssed off. Cry, scream, moan, write angry letters to the editor. Some of my earliest efforts of PML. It was sweet. Come to think of it, aside from being wealthy and not all that fat they were a lot like Our Bill. Hmm.