Public support for socialism is up... because Republicans redefined the word "socialism".

[DetlefK]

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/paul-krugman-explains-support-socialism-growing-united-states/

And according to a recent poll by Gallup, more Democrats have a positive view of socialism (57 percent) than have a positive view of capitalism (47 percent).

...

Economist Paul Krugman argued on Twitter Wednesday that despite their dire warnings, conservatives have only themselves to blame for the popularity of socialism.

“It really is important to realize that Republicans have systematically identified the social safety net with socialism,” he wrote.

...

“So if you think Denmark looks pretty good, Republicans say you’re a socialist, and people start to think socialism looks pretty good too. If the GOP then pretends that support for ‘socialism’ means wanting government control of the means of production, that’s bait-and-switch,” Krugman writes. “I mean, I know that Trump and others have problems with geography, time zones, and all that, but Denmark is not the same country as Venezuela.”

One aspect of this dynamic that Krugman doesn’t mention is the conservative embrace of “capitalism.” Republicans have often tried to brand themselves as the defenders of capitalism — by which they mean a very limited, unequal, and often vicious form of capitalism. This branding can push people away from capitalism as much as it can push people toward socialism.

...

Whether these policies are called these “socialism,” “democratic socialism,” “social democracy” or some other label, they clearly garner a lot of enthusiasm. And if conservatives try to attack these policies by using “socialist” as an epithet against them, they’re likely to only increase support for socialism.

[ck4829]

1. K&R. If you're not Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, you are a socialist according to the GOP.

[rocktivity]

2. That's because Republicans have redefined the word "fasicsm," too.

rocktivity

[2naSalit]

5. That's a fact!

[Nitram]

6. I don't think Republicans have defined the word "fascism." They just throw it randomly at anything

they disagree with. I suspect they think it means, "things we believe are wrong."

[GetRidOfThem]

3. My father would have branded modern liberal thinking as socialism...

...this still bugs me about him. He had this crazy East/West divide thing, thinking tha Russian communism was trying to take over the World, and thus was allergic to anything that smelled like an anti-capitalistic compromise. This led to some clearly distorted thinking: Desmond Tutu, the ANC, were purchased agents of the Soviets. Metzenbaum was the most dangerous American politician. Martin Luther King Jr. was "red".

The source of all this is that he lived through the rise of Hitler in Germany. And we must not forget: they called themselves the National Socialists. Because my father abhorred any form of absolutism, he made that thinking distort him into other black and white thinking.

Did I mention he was a clergyman? <sigh!> I had a tough upbringning...

[Hulk]

9. This is a bigger problem than just for your father.

Thanks for sharing. This is one of the problems with our citizens...simple black or white thinking. You're right...the Nazi's used the word "socialist republik" in their title...but it was more or less bull shit, or maybe it wasn't such bull shit, but had such heinous aspects to the government that it tarnished the word for generations to come.

Sort of like "Abe Lincoln was a republican" and "Democrats started the KKK", and other such bull shit...black and white, without any explanation to clarify what was really true. I hate debating idiots that pull these distracting pieces of fact out of their asses in a conversation. 1865 was how long ago? ..and the "Dixie-crats" did what after the Civil Rights Act?....became present day repuKKKes in the deep South.

Fortunately I grew up in a Democrat home. One sister married an Air Force officer, and she became a republican, but that was back before they went over the edge of reality. I have a couple others that through fear and wealth have also joined the ideology...hate and greed.

Thanks for sharing.

[Nitram]

4. I had noticed this trend.

Conservative overreach.

[Hulk]

7. We need to point out MORE successful socialist governments....

....while also education these ignorant loons that WE are partially a socialistic government, as is any government that provides for the welfare of it's people. WTF is wrong with these people!!?

[IronLionZion]

8. Denmark is well-regulated capitalism with a strong social safety net

Dems like the public programs for healthcare and education. None of us want to seize the means of production Soviet-style. Well maybe a few, but not most.

[elmac]

10. Americans can't live without socialism

socialism has always been a part of our lives, public roads, public water, sewer, public schools, police, fire, Medicaid, Medicare, social security and even the corporate pig fascists need all of this and more, without our socialist military they would be soooo screwed.

[NCTraveler]

11. I think it's funny that support for it is up, yet we don't have any socialists or socialist...

movement in the country.

[SaintLouisBlues]

12. Did you miss the part about the word socialism being redefined? According to the new definition,

there is quite the socialist movement going on here. Poll after poll confirm the popularity of so-called socialist programs in the US.

Republicans are not the only ones that try to conflate social safety-net programs with government controlling the means of production.

[NCTraveler]

13. That is one of the parts I find most funny. nt

[not fooled]

14. Professor Richard Wolff

does an excellent historical overview of what happened to make "socialism" a toxic word in the U.S. Hint: a way to destroy the power of organized labor + enshrine capitalism, via a coordinated and determined campaign of propaganda and conflating "communism" with "socialism". McCarthy was part of this. He also points out that there are multiple forms of social organization that can have the term "socialism" attached. Any reasonable person knows that "Democratic socialism" does not = "control of the means of production."

He says it's been childish of America to demonize the word, and that recently people have started coming around to being more open to discussion and consideration of alternatives to what exists now.

Good to see this topic getting wider exposure.

[malthaussen]

15. Which is one reason why I hate arguing over labels.

They mean what you want them to mean.

-- Mal