If there ever were an issue on which Democrats and Republicans could agree, it should be that socialism is bad and capitalism, with a little tweaking, is good.
Yet Republicans are the loudest voices saying so. As we approach the November election, democratic socialists are making headway among voters who have been emboldened by the 2025 election of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist. And candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America have advanced in a few dozen primary elections this year.
In response, Republicans and conservatives have begun speaking out against socialism, Marxism and communism, if at times disingenuously. These three orthodoxies are not the same, though there are overlaps. Not many communists are running for public office, at least not as communists, despite President Donald Trump’s claim on Monday that “we’re running against communists.”
Even popular Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, has chimed in, explaining that a market economy, as opposed to socialism, is consistent with human freedom and dignity.
The DSA wants to take over the largest corporations — a core socialist ideal — and bring democratic principles into the workplace. This may appeal to some, but a thorough reading of the DSA’s “program” should make most Americans shudder.
The DSA, whose membership has grown significantly in recent years, also wants to rewrite the Constitution, eliminate the Senate and replace the Supreme Court, defund the police and provide free health care. This largesse would be funded, of course, by taxpayers, whose IRS bills would skyrocket.
History — and our own eyes (see Venezuela) — tell us that the pursuit of equal outcomes can lead to equal misery. Given the DSA’s stated aspirations, it’s fair to say that democratic socialism is the gateway ideology to socialism, if not necessarily communism.
Recent polling shows that voters most interested in the socialist platform tend to be young and college-educated. They’re ripe for the seduction thanks to the high cost of everything from groceries to rent. Even people in their 30s and 40s often can’t afford to buy a house. Job insecurity is growing as artificial intelligence threatens to render many employees obsolete.
Yes, life is not perfect right now, and the promise of free stuff and feel-good rhetoric periodically seduce the young, as well as members of the intellectual elite. I was even susceptible as a college student. I remember telling my father that I thought socialism was a good idea. He replied: “It is a good idea. It just doesn’t work.”
The GOP is wise to take the lead in exposing what socialists would do if given power. I wonder why Democrats are letting Republicans seize the moment. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and other House leaders recently held a news conference to highlight the looming socialist threat. They did, however, seem a bit overwrought and prone to hyperbole in conflating socialism and communism.
Having grown up in Florida during the mass influx of Cubans, I was well-versed in the stories of Fidel Castro’s Cuba at an early age and always wanted to see for myself. About 25 years ago, I traveled there with a British diplomat and a group of journalists. It was an eye-opener after decades of blocked access. People living in dilapidated apartment buildings without air-conditioning hung out of open windows in search of relief. Lights flickered during meetings with government ministers. It was picturesque to see vintage Fords and Buicks lining the streets. The cars still ran, but I’m sure the Cuban people would appreciate newer vehicles, if they could afford them. The decaying power grid meant that people might have a few hours of electricity per day.
This is what communism looks like.
What socialism and communism fail to acknowledge — and the reason they fail — is what capitalism embraces: human nature. Simply put, human nature responds positively to incentives and rewards, and behavior adapts accordingly. Humans were designed to create, design, produce and find happiness in accomplishment. Without incentives, why-botherism settles in. Entrepreneurship fizzles. Hard work becomes pointless, and prosperity becomes a memory.
This isn’t to say capitalism is perfect. It can be ruthless without the buttressing of personal and institutional virtue. For corporations to more fairly benefit workers and communities — and not just shareholders — legal, social and economic constraints might be necessary. But a socialist takeover would be overkill.
To young people inclined toward instant gratification, socialism promises relief. To those folks, I say: Politics is like the weather. It comes and goes. You wouldn’t build an ark just because it’s raining. And it makes no sense to reinvent a country designed by some of history’s finest minds for the common good. Count your blessings, grab an umbrella and vote wisely.
As for Democrats, don’t let Republicans be the only voices of sanity. Make your own voices heard and explain to your constituents why socialism is a utopian cocktail that might get you tipsy for a while, but the hangover is hell. And Republicans? Stop with the Red Scare hysteria and stick to the facts. They are enough.
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