The truth is, socialism is not a dirty word; it's actually quite popular among Americans, says Nichols:



Long before [Senator Bernie] Sanders considered making a presidential bid, a 2012 Gallup survey found that while 55 percent of Democrats had a favorable view of capitalism, a nearly equal amount—53 percent—had a favorable view of socialism.

But… but… will Americans vote for a Democratic Socialist? They’ve done it before, as Nichols illustrates, and it’s highly likely they’ll do it again. Right now, he says, about half the voters --

Obviously, those numbers can go higher. And as more people are exposed to Sanders' policies, the more likely that is to happen. As an Iowa farmer-activist told Nichols:



“…the way to talk about socialism is to remind people of what they don’t like about most politicians: They’re too close to big business. Well, democratic socialists aren’t close to big business. They want to make sure big business doesn’t run over the rest of us. Talk about it that way, and even some folks who think they’re conservatives might say, ‘That makes sense.’”

…Fagan points out that “there are a lot of good examples from around the world. But there are some pretty good examples right here: schools, libraries, roads…. “There’s nothing scary about what Bernie is saying,” Fagan adds. “He’s fighting for what people believe in, what they want. That’s how he should talk about it. Free college education—who doesn’t want that? Break up the banks—who isn’t for that? Addressing inequality—who is opposed to that?”

Or there’s the other approach --- highlighting the benefits of Democratic Socialism, as Joe Fagan, a founder of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), explains:Sanders has talked about making a major speech about Democratic Socialism directly to voters. Maybe he’ll have a chance at tonight’s forum with Rachel Maddow. Fingers crossed …

UPDATE: Here's the link to the poll Nichols bases this on. Sorry I did not include this earlier. http://bit.ly/...