The socialism thing is a holdover from the Cold War. Before the Second World War, socialism wasn't broadly popular in the US, but it wasn't reviled either. Indeed, in certain parts of the labor movement, you would see references to socialism all the time. As an economic ideology, it was debated, and some people very much didn't appreciate it, but it wasn't what it is today.

When I was growing up at the height of the Cold War, anything vaguely Soviet, Communist, or socialist wasn't just controversial — it was un-American, anti-patriotic, scandalous, and just deeply taboo.

In fact, when I studied Russian at university, I had to be very careful to explain to people that I wasn't doing it because I appreciated Russian culture — although that was actually untrue. I loved Russian literature as soon as I started reading it, which is why I studied Russian. I just kept that to myself.

Anyway, things aren't that taboo today, but in conservative circles, socialism is still equated with totalitarianism and Soviet extremism like Stalinism.

The idea of democratic socialism, which exists for the betterment of society in much of Europe (and for that matter the United States) is poorly understood by most of the U.S. populace and is often used by right-wing thinkers and politicians to inspire fear of authoritarianism and dictatorship.

For any US politician to endorse any sort of support for socialism of any kind is pretty much a kiss of death. Unless you're Bernie Sanders. And he is a very odd political duck, indeed.