If elected, Bernie Sanders wouldn’t be America’s first socialist president

[LiberalArkie]

Following the first Democratic presidential debate on Oct. 13, YouGov published a new poll which surveyed Americans of three political persuasions (Democratic, Republican, and independent) on whether they favored capitalism over socialism, or vice versa.

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Following its publication, some commentators took to Twitter to herald what appeared to be an unprecedented political reality: in 2015, more Democratic voters favor socialism over capitalism.

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It’s a talking point that, if true, will undoubtedly be put to use to bolster Vermont senator Bernie Sanders’s bid for the Democratic nomination; or undermine relatively centrist former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who has weathered significant criticism for her ties to Wall Street.

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First, socialism and capitalism are not mutually exclusive concepts. Senator Sanders will tell you as much. When he advocates for Nordic-style social democracy, he isn’t talking about capital-S “Socialism” of the kind that inspired so much McCarthyist paranoia in mid-century America. He’s talking about European economies that essentially operate on the free market (under reasonable government oversight), serving a populace than enjoys robust social-welfare programming.


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http://qz.com/534368/if-elected-bernie-sanders-wouldnt-be-americas-first-socialist-president/