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Is the U.S. drifting toward socialism?
Although America has historically had two major political parties, with smaller, usually single-issue groups occasionally gaining traction, a new party has attracted public attention recently — the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP). While “Democratic Socialist” sounds like an oxymoron, this movement seems to be the real deal. Building on the momentum of Bernie Sanders in the last presidential election and adding new faces like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who recently upset a 10-term New York Democratic incumbent for a seat in the House of Representatives, the DSP claims to speak for many voters who are dissatisfied with the status quo.
They believe that workers and consumers should control the means of production, not corporations or even the government; government should regulate private corporations, as long as capitalism exists, and protect the worker as much as possible; everyone should have equal access to food, housing, quality education, health care, and child care; labor unions are essential to empower workers and to challenge capitalism; and health care is a basic right and should be guaranteed to everyone. With minor exceptions, that’s almost a textbook application of the classic socialistic manifesto. All they need is Benito Mussolini to make the trains run on time.