Americans do not want “socialism”

What we first have to do is distinguish Democratic Socialism as a party in a policy versus a strong social safety net.

If you go to the DSA website, you see this:

I once heard a young progressive, when raising the minimum wage was discussed, pronounced she didn’t like that because it kept “people in their place” and she preferred workers collectives. WTH ? The clip from the DSA hints at more of the same.

Mr. Deboer hits the nail on the head- Americans do NOT want socialism. And one of the worst things about our politics since 2016 is Bernie embracing the democratic-socialist tag (albeit with small D and small S).

What Americans want is a level playing field, genuine opportunity, a solid safety net for health and employment. Americans don’t want worker collectives.

Americans don’t want unregulated markets. They want regulated energy, free education, affordable child care, improved social security. They can even be in favor of single-payer health care coverage if framed right! They want job security, good roads, etc. Many want to return with strong unions.

Americans do not want socialism- they want a social safety net. But when groups like DSA muddy the waters (and some politicians accept it) it pushes allies away from achieving a better safety net.

Originally published at http://dennisbmurphy.blogspot.com.