Bernie Sanders wants Capitalism with a safety net

http://www.alternet.org/economy/millions-now-understand-capitalism-needs-socialism-work-which-why-bernie-so-popular?akid=14282.294211.lckun1&rd=1&src=newsletter1056899&t=2

 When Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist, he is referring to democratic socialism as practiced in Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Norway and many other countries in Western Europe; in other words, capitalism with a safety net. Sanders is essentially a capitalist who rejects the type of crony capitalism and ruthless corporatism that is killing America’s middle class. By European standards, Sanders is a mainstream liberal, which is a far cry from orthodox Marxist-Leninism as practiced in the old Soviet Union. And compared to some of the left-wing parties that have been gaining momentum in parts of Europe (such as Podemos in Spain or Syreeza in Greece), Sanders is not that far to the left. Rather, the political discourse in the U.S. moved so far to the right in the 1980s and '90s that openly embracing socialism on any level was considered toxic.   

In January 2016, YouGov posed the question: “do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of socialism?” The poll found that Americans under 30 had a view of socialism that included “very favorable” (8%), “somewhat favorable” (35%) or “somewhat unfavorable” (13%). In the 30-44 demographic—that is, the older millennials and younger Generation Xers—Americans had a view of socialism that included “very favorable” (7%), “somewhat favorable” (20%) or “somewhat unfavorable” (19%). And in the 45-64 demographic, a combination of Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers had an opinion of socialism that included “very favorable" (4%), “somewhat favorable” (23%) or “somewhat unfavorable” (18%).

The most right-wing Americans in the YouGov poll tended to be older. Americans who had a “very unfavorable” view of socialism included 13% of Americans under 30, 31% of Americans aged 30-44, 36% of Americans aged 45-64 and 40% of Americans over 65. And they tended to be whiter: 36% of whites had a view of socialism that was “very unfavorable” compared to only 10% of blacks or 28% of Hispanics.

A Gallup poll released in June 2015 found that 47% of Americans viewed the word “socialist” favorably, including 59% of Democrats, 49% of independents and even 26% of Republicans. And a new Gallup poll released in early May 2016 offered additional insights on Americans’ thoughts on socialism. When Gallup asked Americans if they had a “positive or negative image” of socialism, those who had a positive image included 55% among those aged 18-29, 37% among those aged 30-49, 27% among those aged 50-64 and 24% among those 65 or older. But at the same time, the terms “entrepreneurs,” “free enterprise” and “capitalism” fare well in the polls—even among millennials.