Regardless of socialism's merits or drawbacks, most americans seem to have a very limited understanding of the ideology, characterized more by ideas of boogeymen and shady government stooges.
Bernie is not a far left European communist. He's a center-left social democrat. Closer to European version of libertarianism than he is to Euro communism of the old soviet union or even to the Yugoslavian Tito style communism. Nothing he's said indicates a desire for a strong authoritarian socialism, rather just an expansion of existing benefits and services. He's the closest thing to a political embodiment of libertarian socialism that we have in the current crop of living politicians. At least as far as elected ones with any major influence goes. To be fair, Bernie may not even be totally accurate in referring to himself as democratic socialist. He's an old school social democrat. Big distinction, as the latter doesn't seek to do away with profit or to make ownership of production and the economy totally public. He's a Rooseveltian, A Keynesian, not a Stalinist or a Maoist.
As much as we'd love for the magical benevolent free market to fix all of the world's ills, I just don't see that as a viable path in this crowded global community. Mixed economy is the best way to go. For that matter, most American Republicans and Democrats could be said to be a little socialist, as most of them don't mind publicly funded, publicly owned infrastructures and services. Even many of the staunchest conservatives here don't have a problem sending their kids off to public schools, or benefitting from government health care if they're military veterans.
The antipathy to socialism is understandable, but people need to understand exactly what it is they're opposed to. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater out of irrational fear based in ignorance.
In a nation where we've demanded a lot of service and sacrifice from the public in multiple wars over the last century+, it's only logical we repay the sacrifices largely made by the working and middle classes. That hasn't really happened. Time to pay up.
