Despite President Joe Biden backing both safe and ambitious plans to shift the social and political window back to the Democrats, he is not a socialist. The word “socialism” is frequently used by conservatives to demonize democratic ideals and policy, including Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure plan that passed the Senate last Tuesday. But, the meaning and political alignment of socialism is misconstrued to the point where America’s fear of it depletes support for social programs. Our society must understand where to draw the line between a misdefined ideology, and government welfare that helps save lives. If neither Biden’s Democratic party nor Republicans are socialist, then these programs are not either. America does not need fear, it needs policy. 

Americans often associate socialism with past threats of communist nations and assume it means government handouts and the downfall of capitalistic merit. A Monmouth University study found in 2019 that 57% of Americans view socialism negatively, with fewer than half identifying as Republican. This misunderstanding of socialism is something that spans across party lines. Interestingly, socialism was not defined for those interviewed, meaning that their past biases could inform their interpretation. Rhetoric from conservative politicians becomes more popularized to appeal to this mindset, and the cycle of bias continues. 

Recently, much opposition arose from top GOP senators to Biden’s trillion-dollar hard infrastructure bill, which includes new job-creating transportation and energy initiatives. Republicans ordered significant cuts into the budget plan, before the bill eventually garnered sufficient bi-partisan support. Before major edits were made, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell argued the bill was, “a grand socialist experiment.” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise stated that the Democrats wanted a "socialist agenda” and “Soviet-style” infrastructure. As influential politicians continue to weaponize an undefined ideology against key policies, American citizens who benefit from such programs will be hurt. 

The issue is bigger than Republican backlash against social spending. The new infrastructure bill targets economic growth, and specifically benefits minorities and those impacted most heavily by the pandemic. It targets historically black and brown rural areas that are systemically underfunded and opens a path for future growth. The wider internet access and effective climate change reactions the bill offers means more opportunities for economic racial equity. But when Republicans wrongly conflate these policies with an unappealing socialist utopia, it not only harms the people of color that are benefing, but also perpetuates the stereotype of minorities needing government handouts and relying on “dangerous” ideologies.

While the public increasingly supports some parts of the bill, conservative leaders labeling the left “socialist” to garner reliable opposition makes passing legislation even more difficult. The trigger word of “socialism” must be destigmatized. Otherwise, we risk not passing life-saving economic and social legislation, of which are proven to help everyday Americans. 

Destigmatizing socialism means starting conversations with those around us about ongoing social policy initiatives and weighing their effects on our lives. Politicians on the right ought to argue the real-world implications of the programs, and the left must be more clear in their legislative branding. Demonizing socialism, while understandable in our political landscape, is not a long-term solution to the fearmongering garnered by conservative Americans. Democrats need to be more decisive in their word choice and clearer about why social programs are so integral to our country’s landscape.

Taking a deep dive into the pros, cons, and empirical effects of socialism as an ideology is not nessecary to recognize how the simple use of the word hurts essential programs. Our democratic system promoting welfare programs is not seizing the means of production or a path to communism. It is difficult to solve deeply rooted stigma, yet the recognition of this correlation can help us work towards more acceptance of such ideals and productive policymaking. 

As the partisan divide grows larger, but efforts of joint collaboration are developing, social spending can not fall through the gap. It does not matter whether you like socialism by whatever definition you are aware of, these programs have nothing to do with it. We should start learning the meaning of and stop abusing claims that influence important policy. America needs to stand up to fear, and start educating on a path for change.