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By C.J. Atkins
It started with the near collapse of the economy in 2008-09 when millions lost their homes and jobs and started questioning the status quo. Discussion about it picked up again with the Occupy Wall Street movement as young people realized the future they faced—low-wage jobs, endless student debt—was anything but bright. Then, it emerged more fully into the open with the insurgent campaign of Bernie Sanders in 2016. Now, as it looks like the independent senator might actually win the Democratic nomination, it’s a topic that everyone seems to be talking about: Socialism.
These last few years, the United States has been living through what’s been described as a “socialist moment.” In the post-Cold War days of the 1990s and early 2000s, when global capitalism reigned triumphant, the idea socialism seemed all but dead. But the self-declared “democratic socialist” from Vermont—along with hundreds of other progressive lawmakers, grassroots candidates, and movements across the country—has changed all that.
Big reforms like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and student loan cancellation are presented as part of a “democratic socialist” agenda. They’ve become the ideas shaping the 2020 election. And a lot of people like what they hear. Millions are giving consideration to the idea of socialism, which for decades seemed a relic of the past, a political dead-end.
For many, of course, it’s still a no-go; not everyone is excited about the socialist moment. The Wall Street think tank crowd speculates Sanders and socialism will kill the Democratic Party. News reporters at corporate-owned outlets face suspension from their jobs if they admit to having socialist leanings. Right-wing propaganda raises the specter of communism and constantly slaps Soviet-style imagery on Sanders. And of course, President Trump and his boosters have resurrected the boogeyman of radicalism, attempting to attach the socialist label on anyone who opposes them.
Despite all the panic and dire warnings, however, one...
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