Nicole Theis on Socialism, Totalitarianism and Delaware’s Primaries

Politics can feel like a crockpot full of slogans: “justice,” “freedom,” “fairness,” “equity.” The trick is figuring out what those words mean once they leave the campaign flyer and start writing laws.

Nicole Theis, Founder and President of the Delaware Family Policy Council, has been urging voters to look under the hood before Delaware’s primaries. Her warning is direct: ideas have consequences, and some political ideas come with a lot more government attached than the bumper sticker suggests.

Primary season is a good time to ask bigger questions.

Theis sees a worldview behind the policy talk.

Theis argues that socialism and communism often start with a promise to fix oppression between groups. In that frame, society is divided into categories: oppressor and oppressed, powerful and powerless, guilty group and victim group. This episode of the Forged podcast,

That may sound neat on paper, like sorting laundry. The problem, in her view, is that people are not socks.

Her concern is that this way of thinking moves blame away from individual sin and moral responsibility and places it mainly on systems. If the problem is always “the system,” then the proposed cure is usually more power for the government to control that system.

Votes are small acts with big ideas behind them.

Why totalitarianism enters the conversation

Theis warns that when government claims the job of correcting every group-based imbalance, it can become more than a referee. It can become the coach, the rulebook, the scoreboard, and the guy selling hot dogs.

That is where her concern about totalitarianism comes in. If leaders believe they must reorder society to create justice, they may justify limits on speech, faith, family life, education, and private choices.

The point is not that every social program equals communism. That would be lazy thinking, and frankly, lazy thinking should have to do pushups. This is raising a bigger question: What happens when the state becomes the main tool for moral repair?

Worldview questions often sit underneath policy fights.

Joseph Backholm adds the worldview lens.

On the Forged podcast episode featuring worldview expert Joseph Backholm, the conversation explored how political movements are often driven by deeper beliefs about human nature, justice, and authority.

Backholm’s insight fits Theis’s argument: if people are seen mainly as members of groups, politics becomes a battle over power. If people are seen as morally responsible individuals, politics leaves more room for conscience, persuasion, family, church, and local community.

That difference matters. It shapes how candidates talk about schools, parents, religious liberty, speech, and the role of government. This episode of the Forged podcast,

Primaries reward voters who do their homework.

Why this matters before Delaware’s primaries

Delaware’s primaries are not just about names on a ballot. They are about assumptions.

Before voting, it is worth asking:

• What does this candidate believe government should fix?

• Where do they place responsibility, on people, systems, or both?

• How do they protect speech, faith, and family decisions?

• What limits do they place on government power?

  
  

Theis’s message reminds us to read past the slogans. A primary ballot may look harmless, but so does a toaster until someone tries to make soup in it. This episode of the Forged podcast,

The takeaway is simple: ideas are not decoration. They drive policy. Before Delaware voters pick candidates, they should ask what worldview is riding along. Thank you to DelawareFamilies.org