Socialism has long been deemed a dirty word in American politics. It smacked of a rejection of the capitalistic system that had fueled the country's rise to superpower status, too reminiscent of a dreamy, share-the-wealth philosophy that goes against the grain of fierce corporate competition. Looked at another way, the U.S.has a mixed system, with a government-run retirement program, government-run health care systems for the elderly and the poor, and a spate of programs to help farmers, small businesses, schools, veterans, the unemployed and so on.
It isn’t exactly a European-style welfare state, but perhaps a close cousin. Right now, socialists are on a roll in Democratic politics.DEMOCRATS' NEW-WAVE SOCIALISTS ARE WINNING PRIMARIES BUT FACE A HARSH REALITY IN GENERAL ELECTIONSThe Democrats have a socialist problem – and if it wasn't clear before, it is now.The Zohran Mamdani wing is making big gains.
(Michael M.Santiago/Getty Images)Following the lead of its most visible champion, Zohran Mamdani, they are shoving the party dramatically to the left – and with some deep, dark elements, especially on foreign policy. This amounts to a gift-wrapped Fourth of July present to the Republicans, who are happy to spend the next few years running against these new-wave socialists. Maybe that word no longer carries sinister overtones, because President Trump says the three far-left candidates that the New York mayor successfully pushed for Congress are "Communists." That sounds like a throwback to the 1950s witch hunts known as McCarthyism. AOC ISSUES WARNING TO HER FELLOW DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS IN THE WAKE OF SOCIALISTS WINNING BIG IN NYCBut this goes beyond Washington and Seattle also electing socialists as mayors, and the obvious point is that most of the country is far to the right compared with the liberal cauldron that is New York City.The new socialists may have excitement on their side, but some of their views are downright dangerous.
And they wage thei...