Letters to the editor: Socialist policies are sensible, but the challenge is messaging

To the editor: As columnist LZ Granderson aptly posits, the economic prospects of most Americans would improve under a more socialistic governance (“Voters want what the Democrats’ left wing offers,” July 17). But in recent years, Democrats have been reluctant to tout transitioning to socialism.

The problem is that a huge swath of the voting masses can be reliably manipulated to spurn the S-word. Especially the ones who buy into the amorphous slogan “Make America Great Again,” on which no GOP politician dares expound.

Republicans of course know what simply spouting “MAGA” will bring to mind throughout the low-information masses. To wit: gauzy recollections of the mid-20th century, when relatively unfettered capitalism worked its magic, spurred by a post-war population boom that fueled the constantly expanding market on which capitalism famously thrives.

Plus, the voting masses are susceptible to the GOP’s incessant conflation of socialism with communism.

Sensible as the Democrats’ socialistic proposals may be, they face overpowering headwinds.

Roberta Helms, Santa Barbara

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.