America warms up to socialism

by Juan Williams,

Have you noticed a lot of Democrats are saying the s-word lately?

“We have to say yes to socialism — to the word and everything,” legendary comedian and Trump critic Jim Carrey told Bill Maher recently. “We have to stop apologizing.”

This was more than two comedians looking for laughs. This debate is the beating heart of what liberal voters hope for — and Trump voters fear — if Democrats take control of the House after this year’s midterm elections.

All Americans deserve the “minimum elements necessary to lead a dignified American life,” Ocasio-Cortez told voters to standing ovations.

These candidates are following in the footsteps of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign.

The Vermont senator has proudly identified as a democratic socialist throughout his career. In his presidential run, he gave Hillary Clinton a surprisingly tough race by winning a high level of support from young supporters who embraced his calls for universal healthcare, free college tuition and higher taxes on the wealthiest one percent of Americans to pay for social welfare programs.

“When I use the world ‘socialist’ — and I know some people aren’t comfortable about it — I’m saying that it is imperative [to] create a government that works for all and not just the few,” Sanders said in a 2015 interview.

“I don’t believe government should own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a fair deal.”

A Gallup poll last month found that a majority of Democrats and left-leaning independents view Sanders’ style of socialism more favorably than capitalism. Fifty-seven percent have a favorable view of socialism, whereas only 47 percent have a favorable view of capitalism.

The big-ticket item for Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez Democrats is Medicare-for-All, a.k.a. “BernieCare,” a.k.a. “universal health care,” a.k.a. “Canadian-style single payer.”

A Reuters-Ipsos poll from last month found that a whopping 70 percent of Americans support Medicare-for-All — including 52 percent of self-described Republicans. This socialist proposal is wildly popular among the electorate — and it now has Democrats running toward it instead of away from it.

“I grew up in Canada, OK, we have socialized medicine,” Carrey explained to Maher. “And I’m here to tell you…It is not a failure, and I never waited for anything in my life. I chose my own doctors. My mother never paid for a prescription — it was fantastic.”

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