The Republican Party's terminology for attacking the radical left within the U.S. Democratic Party is shifting.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on Sunday (the 5th) that there has been a significant increase in instances where Republican and conservative figures are labeling progressive Democrats—previously characterized as "socialists"—as "communists."

An analysis by the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), a non-profit organization, of public statements and social media posts by Republican politicians and conservative influencers shows that the terms "communism" or "communist" were used an average of 626 times per week in the first half of this year.

This represents a 43% increase from the 439 times recorded during the same period last year.

Legacy media outlets analyze that the recent notable rise of politicians affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is what has prompted the Republican Party to intensify its offensive.

Democratic socialism is a political ideology that seeks to mitigate economic inequality through an expanded role for government and strengthened welfare, while maintaining capitalism and an electoral democratic system.

Proponents argue that they are distinct from communists in that they respect the market economy and a multi-party democratic system.

However, the fact that communist countries also use "People's Democratic Republic" in their official names demonstrates that simply using the word "democratic" does not mean the system is a democracy in the same sense.

Rather, the Republican Party and the MAGA voter base point out that democratic socialism paves the way for a dictatorship by a small elite—or, to put it another way, totalitarianism.

This is because socialism eventually tends toward a path where the government intervenes in, interferes with, and ultimately controls the lives of its citizens. It suggests that welfare can be used as a tool to strip away the fundamental rights of the people.

Beyond independent Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont), Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, other candidates espousing democratic socialism have recently been reporting victories in Democratic primary elections.

Legacy media outlets claim that these candidates are expanding their support, particularly among the youth, by putting forward policies such as universal healthcare and a higher minimum wage.

Left-leaning media outlets report that according to a Pew Research Center survey, the percentage of respondents with a negative perception of democratic socialist politicians decreased from 45% in 2022 to 37% this year, arguing that resistance to democratic socialism in American society has somewhat declined.

However, the actual results from opinion polls differ quite significantly from these media claims. 

According to the "Harvard Youth Poll," general support for democratic socialism across the U.S. has dropped sharply from 40% in 2020 to 29% recently.

Data from the past few years regarding the entire U.S. electorate shows that the popularity of the term "socialism" itself is clearly declining. It is just that democratic socialist candidates are creating a stir by winning major victories within the Democratic Party.

Among independent voters, who hold the most important "casting vote" in elections, only 24% of respondents expressed support for democratic socialism. Independent voters are turning their backs on it.

Looking at data from sources like the "Pew Research Center," 38% of Americans stated they actively dislike politicians who call themselves democratic socialists, while only 15% said they like them. Thus, focusing reporting specifically on positive support among the youth is misleading.

According to a Gallup survey, a staggering 66% of Democratic supporters view socialism positively, while only 42% view capitalism positively. This demonstrates that the Democratic base is becoming increasingly radicalized.

This shift toward radical leftism within the Democratic Party is forcing the Republican Party to revise its strategy to capture the center with midterm elections only months away.

Republican strategist Alex Conant said, "The people we used to attack as socialists now call themselves socialists. It's no longer a damaging label."

As individuals who openly identify with socialist parties increasingly gain control of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party appears to view "communism" as a more appropriate and clear term than "socialist."

During a press conference on the 1st, the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives defined the internal conflicts of the Democratic Party as a battle between "common sense and communism," drawing parallels to the Russian Bolshevik Revolution.

President Donald Trump also argued at a rally in North Dakota, "They say they are democratic socialists, but in reality, they are communists." Since the time Zohran Mamdani was running his campaign for New York City Council, he has consistently pointed out that socialism is synonymous with communism.

During his Independence Day holiday speech at Mount Rushmore, as well as in a speech just before the 250th anniversary fireworks display, he characterized democratic socialist politicians as "communists" and touted that modern American history is a history of the United States winning the fight against communism.

Regarding this offensive, Representative Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the democratic socialist faction, pointed out that "what voters care about is not the ideological labeling of politicians, but policies that can lower the cost of living and prices."

The issue is that while inflation exceeded 9% during the period led by former President Joe Biden, it has fallen below 3% during the period led by President Trump.

This is why it is argued that policies aimed at lowering the cost of living have nothing to do with welfare, and that the socialist policies advocated by democratic socialists are ultimately nothing more than populism.

NNP U.S. / Chief Correspondent Hong Seong-gu / Special Report for this publication NNP info@newsandpost.com