Republicans Have Only Themselves To Blame For Popularity Of Socialism
The back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats on socialism is enough to give you whiplash. But one thing is true: socialism is on the rise. 43% of Americans now say that some form of socialism is good for the country, compared to just 25% in 1942. Comrades are popping up like Starbucks all over America. As much as Republicans hate this, it turns out they have themselves to thank.
It is their own policies and actions that have positioned democratic socialism as a legitimate option for Americans. Congratulations; you've played yourself. Here's the trend. Republicans dismantle moderate liberal policies. They attack those policies as socialism and institute their own far-right ideas. That causes Democrats to respond with an even more left-leaning proposal. And because of that back-and-forth, more Americans are now considering giving some form of socialism a chance.
Herman Cain: The C in capitalism stands for competition. The S in socialism stands for state control.
Fidel: The S here actually stands for straw man, because the type of socialism that Republicans are attacking isn't quite the same as the one that progressives are pushing for. Traditional socialism pushes for collective ownership of all means of production, either through direct ownership by workers or the government. Democratic socialism is the idea that the government should provide just the basic needs for its citizens, like healthcare, education, and more. This is the type of socialism being promoted by politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Now, Republicans love to scream "socialism" at any policy that involves the government. They'd probably call their kids socialists if they asked for an allowance. But remember, it's Republican policy that contributed to the rise of Democratic socialism in the first place. Obamacare is the perfect example. It was passed in 2010, and literally minutes later, a group of Republicans filed a lawsuit against it, saying it was Because Obamacare mandated that people sign up for healthcare or pay a fee, Republicans started calling it a government takeover, likening it to socialism.
EDIT
https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-socialism-democratic-obamacare-bernie-sanders-aoc-socialist-2019-8