The Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders admitted Sunday that the socialism label he is identified with could be a major obstacle to his victory in the November 2016 elections.
“I think there are a lot of people who, when they hear the word ‘socialist,’ get very, very nervous,” Sanders told reporters at a campaign stop in Iowa, where the Democratic nominating contest begins Feb. 1.
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“What we’re probably going to do to begin with is hold a major speech in the not-too-distant future to define exactly what I mean by democratic socialism,” Sanders told a supporter in Iowa City who asked how he would counteract political attacks on his socialist views. “To me, democratic socialism means democracy. It means creating a government that represents all of us, not just the wealthiest people in the country.”
The U.S senator from Vermont did not indicate when exactly he plans to give a major speech to explain his belief in democratic socialism.
I'll be interested to see if folks understood Sanders' explanation of democratic socialism. #DemDebate
— deray mckesson (@deray)
October 14, 2015
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Sanders said many U.S. voters misunderstand socialism and do not recognize it in popular government programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
The lawmaker is currently the leading challenger to front-runner Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential race, and according to various polls he won the first Democratic Party presidential candidate's debate last week.
Sanders has called for greater economic equality, including more taxes on the wealthy and corporations and more government spending on programs such as free college tuition and a higher minimum wage.
Reuters said that the political label of “socialist,” with its Cold War associations and images of government takeovers of private industry, evokes negative connotations for many voters in the United States.
To this, Sanders said voters just need to better understand the concept of socialism.
“I think we have some explaining and work to do, but I think at the end of the day you are going to find more and more people agreeing with our point of view,” Sanders said.
“You go to your public library, or you call your fire department or police department, what do you think you are calling? These are socialist institutions,” he explained.
He then called on voters to remember that Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Germany had instituted successful socialist economic programs while remaining democratic.
“They may not be familiar with some of the very positive policies that those governments have developed for the middle class and working families,” Sanders said. “So I think that’s a discussion we have to have.”