From today's YouGov poll:

[everyonematters]

Registered voters:

Do the rich have too much power?
yes 81%
no 10%


Is inequality a problem?

big problem 51%
somewhat a big problem 27%
minor problem 15%
not a problem 7%

Better economic system
capitalism 41%
socialism 21%

Should the government reduce the wealth gap?

yes 57%
no 25%

This tells me the public is ready for progressive economic policies. Just don't call yourself a socialist.

[rampartd]

1. socialists do need to "rebrand"

they seem to control the english language "gulf of america" style

[underpants]

2. We are lead to be binary. We have a mixed economy but we're told it's CAPITALISM

[rampartd]

4. none of us care who owns the means of production

the authoritarian aspects of stalinism . the oppression emphasized in the red scare propaganda, have already been implemented by capitalists waving flags and carrying crosses.

[Iris]

31. Well said

[Jack Valentino]

41. As a worker, I wouldn't mind owning part of the means of production....

which is what the CEOs get, when their company hands them free shares of stock---

We ALREADY HAVE socialism, but ONLY for the richest, just not for the workers.


I think maybe we need a law that says, if a company gives stock to their top CEOs,
they have to give at least away more shares than that, to the workers!

That'd be SOCIALISM for ALL, NOT just for the bigwigs!

[hedda_foil]

13. An Economy for the People!

[rampartd]

18. i'm a fan if old school populism

"a chicken in every pot" works much better than "all your chickens belong to musk"

[fujiyamasan]

20. Or "all your chickens belong to the government"

That won’t play that well either.

[NBachers]

21. Or "All chickens with XYD sequence belong to MegaDyne Corp, who owns them, and you are renting them from us."

[rampartd]

24. i totally missed that when i read the licensing agreement!

[hedda_foil]

30. You bet!

[FakeNoose]

36. The word "socialism" has always been bad and nasty in the US

USSR = Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republics

Meanwhile the Repukes kiss Putin's ass like nobody's business, but just don't don't say that nasty word!

[kimbutgar]

39. I always ask people can they define the differences between fascism, socialism, communism and capitalism

When they call me that. And when they can’t I say you can’t call someone a slur like that unless you know the definition ! I usually don’t get a response back.

When I went to college in the 70’s, my political science professor made us all learn the definitions ! And then he stressed they are theories that are not easily obtained and utilized fully!

[FakeNoose]

40. Absolutely ... it was required in college and even some high schools

I can remember discussing this stuff in our senior civics class. We boomers were up on all that stuff, but it's just not taught any more. Teachers can't bring it up or they get reprimanded ... or even fired!

[MadameButterfly]

49. Socialism has been demonized by the oligarchs and the rich who have a financial interest

in us believing Socialism is the problem.

Every RW diatribe attacking Socialism cites countries that are dictatorships, and fails to mention the dictatorships that are RW. People don't know how to separate governmental structure from economic structure. Communism is by definition authoritarian, Socialism isn't, but people don't understand that distinction.

The point is, people will be screwed in a dictatorship whatever the economic structure.
Neither pure Socialism not pure Capitalism has a good track record. A mix is required. The proportion of this mix is what is legitimately up for debate.

[J_William_Ryan]

3. Yet many who responded 'yes' voted for Trump and Republicans.

This tells me the public isn’t ready to vote for progressive economic policies.

[maxrandb]

12. Because 50 years of AM Radio fascist propaganda and 40 years of Faux News

has convinced the MAGAt morons that if they just keep working at their $48K -$58K a year jobs, and cut their taxes, they too will be billionaires like Musk and Bezos!

I can't count the number of coworkers, neighbors, fellow parishioners and family members that have told me the ONLY reason they haven't made their millions yet, is because of SNAP. Welfare and Medicaid.

In reality, if you saved $100, everyday, from the day you were born, it would take you 10 MILLION YEARS to save what Musk, or Bezos, or Zuckerberg have accumulated.

[BurnDoubt]

32. Don't forget...

Romney wanted us "all to be the 1%".
He never did "pencil it out" for us.

And, yes this IS the Oppressive Federal Government they promised us Democrats would impose on us if we didn't vote Republican.
"Owning the Libz..."
... Priceless!!!!!

[Tesha]

5. Rebranding... thinking...

Perhaps?

A mixed economy?

A balanced economy?


Any ideas?

[ZDU]

6. Predatory Economy

Drains your wealth. Drains your community's wealth... dig deeper into debt for the next "big fix" flashy flash

[Icanthinkformyself]

7. It's been known

for decades that the American public loves socialist policies. They've been conditioned to the knee jerk reaction to the term Socialism.

[summer_in_TX]

42. I don't think of those policies as socialist policies. Something very American predates socialism -

from our very founding. Public libraries, public education, a public post office all were American ideas before Karl Marx was even born.

They are perfectly compatible with any economic system, including capitalism and socialism. The idea of a common good does not require ownership of all the means of production. It's a hugely important portion of our country and economy since the very beginning, and is what I think and hope those who claim to be socialists are actually talking about.

THIS is ready and waiting for Dems to pick up and claim in both our ideals and our messaging.

I'm all about the general health, education, and welfare of Americans. But I'm not a socialist. I'm proudly for public goods as part of who we are in a decent country, and for discouraging the kind of obscene wealth that breeds selfishness.

"To whom much was given, much is required." That ethos was once widely held among this country's wealthy. Such a culture can be inculcated again through our stories and ideals, what we teach our children.

[Mr.Bee]

8. The Cure:

90% tax on any wealth over one million dollars.
You can make or have up to one million,
anything over that goes to the social safety net
for all citizens.
Education
Healthcare
Transportation
SNAP

[Wiz Imp]

25. One million dollars is way too low a threshold for a wealth tax.

Approximately 18% of U.S. households are considered millionaires. Your proposal is insane and would be absolutely disastrous.

Even the Senators most in favor of a wealth tax would not not apply it to anywhere close to as low a million dollars. Nor would they tax wealth at anywhere remotely close to 90%.

Senator Elizabeth Warren's proposal: A 2% annual tax on net worth above $50 million, with an additional 1% surtax (totaling 3%) on wealth exceeding $1 billion.

Senator Bernie Sanders' proposal: A more progressive tax starting at 1% for net worth between $32 million and $50 million, with rates progressively rising to 8% for wealth over $10 billion.

Biden Administration's "Billionaire Minimum Tax" proposal: A 25% minimum tax on total income (including unrealized capital gains) for taxpayers with net assets exceeding $100 million.

[NJCher]

44. Boo hoo

Sniffle, sniffle.

They might have to learn to live without a yacht.

[Wiz Imp]

46. Huh? You think evryone with a million dollars owns a yacht?

What an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. Apparently you think Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders are corporate shills for proposing reasonable wealth tax proposals rather than an idea which could never happen and if it did would destroy the country. I'm sure quite a few people here at DU have wealth of well over a million dollars. Absolutely ludicrous that anyone would think those people are "too rich".

Proposing to tax everything above a million dollars at 90% is in fact the most insane, idiotic idea I've ever seen. Change it to 100 million dollars and it isn't totally insane but still not very smart.

[NJCher]

50. I don't

Have to live an average lifestyle, but I do.

Meaning in life does not come from money.

[DFW]

54. I'm not for any kind of wealth tax at all.

Maybe it's just from having been in Germany too long. The Nazis used it as a pretext to take everything from people they didn't like (i.e. Jews), so their post-war constitution forbade double taxation (I am a living example that they don't take that too seriously), which means if your money is legal, it was taxed, and the government can't tax you on it again. I live in a country where the mentality used to be, less than a century ago, "you have more than we do, we're taking it." Aptly described by one politician, who was anything BUT wealthy, as a "Neidsteuer," or jealousy tax. "I don't have it, so you can't, either."

Biden's tax on unrealized capital gains would have been unwieldy, too. Say someone's stock value goes from $100 million to $200 million, and you tax him on the extra $100 million. But then there's a market crash, and his unrealized $200 million goes down to $80 million. Then the government owes him tens of millions back. Hard to keep track of at best. Easier: make it illegal to loan yourself money on over 10% of unrealized gains. That way, if gazillionaires in such a situation want to free up a bunch of cash, they have to sell the stock and pay the capital gains taxes up front. The government will never be on the hook to pay anybody back. Graduated income tax, as I see it, is the way to go. Don't encourage capital flight. DO encourage domestic investment.

One million might have been considered extreme wealth before World War II. These days? It doesn't impress a lot of people in western countries any more. Sure, there are tens of millions of people for whom it represents a massive fortune. Hell, there are tens of millions of Americans for whom $10,000 represents a massive fortune. But if we want to give $10,000 to fifty million people, you have to raise an extra $500 billion. How many people have THAT? After Musk, the list thins out pretty quickly. If we are really going help people out, we have to go to the masses, not bankrupt ten billionaires, even if they deserve it.

We see lottery winners here with a sudden million or more. No one becomes destitute more quickly than they do. It's an easy sum to go through. It won't even buy you a McMansion any more (except, maybe, in Anguilla, Mississippi).

[Callie1979]

34. Welcome to never winning another election.

A million dollars??
Its not 1940.

[Mr.Bee]

38. are you sure??

Sure feels like 1940 Germany.

[Wiz Imp]

47. Wow. Apparently you have no idea what "wealthy" means in 2025.

The average (mean) net worth for a U.S. household is over $1 million (around $1.06 million in 2022 data).

The median home price in California is around $830,000 to $900,000. In DC it's $920,000. In Hawaii $975,500.

[Mr.Bee]

48. No Wonder

Most Americans can't afford a $400 emergency!
The average (mean) includes everyone, so billionaires drastically pull the number up. The median is the midpoint, where half of households have more and half have less, making it a more accurate representation of the typical household's finances.
A $30,000 household income is modest by national standards, representing a significant portion of American households, but its value is highly relative to geographic location and household size.

[mountain grammy]

9. Go get em Jasmine

Minimum wage in Texas is $7.25/hr. Hammer them with that.
Multibillion dollar corporations are keeping people poor.
The healthcare system is inaccessible to most Americans.
Etc, etc, etc!

[Fil1957]

10. Raise taxes on the rich, raise the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation, expand Medicare to cover everyone and

everything. Have free college for anyone who wants to go, to name a few.

These are popular policies, but we're told we can't have them even though other developed countries have them, and we've even had some of those policies in the past in this country.

Moving to the "middle" is not what the country wants or needs. Bernie was and is right. I hope the Democratic party establishment is listening, and I hope they remember that despite some serious flaws, FDR was the most successful president this country has ever had.

And he didn't do it by being a "moderate".

[calimary]

16. YES!!! Expand Medicare to cover everyone!

Lots of good ideas in here, Fil1957. I’m sure FDR’s spirit is pleased as punch about how those ideas have taken root - and blossomed!

[OldBaldy1701E]

33. He was my favorite President!

My grandmother called him a 'wild-eyed radical'.

As you might guess, she and I did not exactly see eye to eye on some issues.

[patphil]

11. We are a Constitutional Democratic Republic

Last edited Wed Dec 10, 2025, 11:03 AM - Edit history (1)

At least we have been. And our government serves the people by balancing the ideas of capitalism and socialism.
If one side of the other appears to be getting too strong, we adjust, or should I say, we are forced to adjust.
We built labor unions to balance out the excesses of the capitalists, which resulted in a strong middle class. This gave us the ability to educate a larger percentage of our citizens beyond the grade school education of our grandparents. Technological advances accelerated this process, and we translated a robust, solid middle class into one that was active in actually making the nation great (as opposed to the BS MAGA movement), with prosperity for a larger number of citizens than ever before.
We also pushed the idea of equality as being a right, not a result of race, ethnic origin, or socio-economic status.
It was inevitable that those who don't like sharing power would strike back and seize control of the economic and political levers of the nation.
This attempt to revert to the "captains of industry/robber barons" concept that was strong in the late 1800's and early 1900's is what is going on now. These people want 2 classes...Upper class and lower class, with a small, but powerful, overseer class to keep the rabble in line.
I see the majority of the people slowly waking up to the class war that is being inflicted on us. It can be either structured within the law through elections, or via a much broader concept of law with blood in the streets.

This is project 2025 in action. Seize and solidify control before the people react. Take both avenues away through ruthless, brutal domination over the citizenry.
We have the numbers, they have the organization and government, even though it's now of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.
Polls are fine, but they're not enough to insure we can take back what the Trump government is grabbing hold of.
The election is 11 months away. Look what we have lost in just 1 year. The next election is all we have left.
If we don't stop this shit by then, we'll have no recourse but violence to do so.

[NJCher]

45. If that's the case

If we don't stop this shit by then, we'll have no recourse but violence to do so.


The Luigi trial is a little reminder.

[patphil]

53. Yeah. I don't like or advocate violence, but the people will respond if pushed too hard.

There could be a Popeye moment.
Popeye was a comic, cartoon, and movie character who was famous for saying, "That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more!".
He also said, "I am what I am, and that's all that I am".
The first one is a declaration of intent.
The second one is an acknowledgement of self worth.
We could learn a lot from him.

[hay rick]

14. In American political discourse, "socialism" is a brand, not a coherent concept.

One of many reasons we can't have ordinary nice things.

[Clouds Passing]

15. Is inequality a problem? Only 51% thinks it is! Inequality IS the PROBLEM!!!!!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The meaning of the word men I interpret as human, the entire human race, women, children, lgbtq+, and men. When humans embody this truth equality will prevail.

[OldBaldy1701E]

35. Yes, but when most people talk about inequity, they are referring to economic inequity.

The inequity is across the board. Rigged rules in work places, targeted laws in cities and states, 'traditional behaviors' in certain parts of the country that exist because of bias and revenge.

Removing all inequity will take removing capitalism, as that system is inherently designed with bias in mind.

As you have seen, that does not seem likely. Too many people have too much skin in the current game to allow that to happen.

So, get comfy with inequity, I guess.

[LudwigPastorius]

17. Almost all of the gains in positive views of socialism...

come from Democrats.

Republicans are basically unchanged in the percentage that believe socialists are the devil.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/694835/image-capitalism-slips.aspx

[EverHopeful]

19. Government of the people, by the people and for the people is NOT Radical-left Socialism

is the message I try to impart but any suggestion of a policy that represents actual people instead of just "Corporate Persons" gets shouted down as Socialism.

This has been used since before we were born. Still struggle to see how we overcome that but this poll does give me some hope.

[pansypoo53219]

22. still too many stupid people who don't want change.

[efhmc]

23. So what are we "suppose to call ourselves. I mostly just say "feminist" or Democrat.

[videohead5]

26. Force those billionaires

To stop hording their money. The next Democratic president should say to these billionaires. Start hiring and paying your workers livable wages or we are going to tax the hell out of you and give it back to the people ourselves.

[KS Toronado]

27. FOLLOW THE MONEY

needs to be part of our messaging next 2 elections.

[WmChris]

28. Capitalism

Capitalism would be alright as long as well regulated in favor of the population at large and deregulated in favor of the wealthy and powerful.

[Pinback]

29. 38%: "Capitalism sucks. Socialism sucks. What else you got?" (nt)

[mucifer]

37. Just don't look at the polling for democrats in congress. It's a mess.

[betsuni]

43. Americans don't vote on policy and equality isn't socialist-only policy.

As the Danish PM reminded the type of people who call Democrats neoliberals as a both sides insult as if their policies are the same anti-regulation privatizing tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations no government social safety net as Republicans, Nordic countries aren't socialist.

[JBTaurus83]

51. We should just brand as progressives

Most people like a mixed system of ownership and fresh ideas. No need to overcomplicate things.

[Ferrets are Cool]

52. And yet, 99 % of those that hate socialism, use it on a daily basis...in fact, would raise holy hell if it were

taken away. Many Americans are just stupid.