We have normalized radical right wing policies and demonize slightly left of center policies

[northremembers]

28. It's fun for me, too.

I don't think we significantly disagree here. I think this whole thread is about creating more understanding about a topic conservatives want to use against us. We bring us socialism and contribute to each other's understanding. When Sean Hannity labels something as socialism, conservatives say "Oh, yeah. I'm against that." The way I see it there is no pure system of any sort, nor should there be. Pure systems are like rebound personal ads. They are designed to be the opposite of the political or economic system they want to leave without valuing the strengths of the old system.

My Cold War narrative was simplistic because no one wants to read a 25 page message post with all of the complexities included. Yes, Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter inherited policies from conservative administrations and struggled to sustain the policies for continuity's sake. Eisenhower and Nixon did the same. Reagan not so much. Even so, there was a difference of values driving those administrations. That gets more complicated because, as you pointed out, many liberals viewed communism as an opponent to the abuses of conservative capitalism. What many liberals lack, even now, is a language of liberal capitalism. It's out there, thanks to Keynes' work during the New Deal, but it's hard to find.

Capitalism was supposed to be about social mobility, not exploitation. Malthus derailed that with his Iron Law of Wages. Keynes came back with the idea that in a large economy you need an economic infrastructure for social mobility to take place on a large scale. Too many Democrat politicians took that to mean quick fix hand out programs.

Publicly funded programs facilitate social mobility. Education, law enforcement, and, some day, health care lower costs by sharing resources. Institutionalized saving like social security and unemployment insurance also promote social mobility by taking money of out the system before increased wages can drive up inflation. Working class people need a way to get ahead of their daily expenses in order to move up the ladder. Conservative pundits use the term socialism to rally their audiences against these policies.

I think that whether a policy is or isn't actual socialism is less important than the general public's understanding of the policy itself. I think it's easier to take terms already in use and turn them in to our favor to create a broader understanding of what we are trying to do. I also think that it's worth having more specific discussions amongst liberals, like this one, because these discussions help us be more clear about the policies and objectives we are advocating.