Skip to Content
  • facebook
  • X
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • flickr
  • WAGNER.EDU
  • A-Z
    A
    • Academic Advising & Accessibility
    • Academic and Cultural Enrichment
    • Admissions
    • Alumni & Friends
    • Anthropology Department
    • Arts Administration
    • Athletics
    B
    • Biological Sciences Department
    • Bookstore
    • Business, Nicolais School
    • Business Office
    C
    • Calendar
    • Campus Life
    • Campus Safety
    • Campus Services
    • Career Planning & Development
    • Center for Intercultural Advancement
    • Center for Leadership & Community Engagement
    • Center for Spirituality
    • Children & Teens Programs
    • Commencement
    • Communications & Marketing
    • Conference Services
    • Continuing Education
    D
    • Dance Program
    • Dining Services
    E
    • Early Childhood Center
    • Education Department
    • English Department
    • Expanding Your Horizons
    F
    • Film & Media
    • Film & Photo Shoots
    • Financial Aid
    G
    • Gender Studies
    • Government & Politics Department
    • Give to Wagner
    H
    • HawkTalk Blog
    • Health & Wellness
    • History Department
    • Holocaust Center
    • Honors Program
    • Human Resources
    I
    • Information Technology
    • Institutional Advancement
    L
    • Library
    • Lifelong Learning Department
    M
    • Math & Computer Science
    • Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures
    • Music Department
    N
    • Newsroom
    • New Students Hub
    • Nursing, Evelyn L. Spiro School
    P
    • Performing Arts
    • Philosophy & Religious Studies Department
    • Physical Sciences Department
    • Physician Assistant
    • Planetarium
    • Pre-Health Science Program
    • Pre-Law Program
    • President’s Office
    • Provost’s Office
    • Psychology Department
    R
    • Registrar
    • Residential Education
    S
    • Sociology Department
    • Student Engagement and Activities
    • Student Government Association
    • Study Abroad
    T
    • Theatre
    • Theatre Season
    • Title IX
    V
    • Veteran’s Resources
    • Visual Arts Department
    W
    • Wagner Fund
    • Wagner Magazine
    • WCBG Student Radio
    • Writing Center
  • QuickLinks
    ONLINE
    • Directory
    • Follett Discover Access
    • Handshake
    • Mailport
    • Moodle
    • myWagner
    • OneLogin
    ON CAMPUS
    • Events Calendar
    • Job Opportunities
    • Library
    • Registrar’s Office
    • Theatre Season
    • Visit Us
    • Webcam
    MORE RESOURCES
    • For Employees
    • For Faculty
    • For Current Students
    • For New Students
    • For Community
    • For Alumni
    • For Parents
Wagner College Newsroom
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Newsroom MENU
    • WAGNER.EDU
    How ‘socialist’ became the dirtiest word in American politics
    February 23, 2012 Share
    Share on facebook
    Facebook
    Share on twitter
    Twitter
    Share on google
    Google
    Share on linkedin
    Linkedin
    Share on pinterest
    Pinterest
    Share on email
    Email
    Text Size

    STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The dirtiest word in contemporary American politics is the term “socialist.”

    According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 60 percent of Americans had negative reactions to the term — which may explain why, throughout the GOP primary season, the “socialist” tag has been applied with vigor by Republican politicians to the Democratic president they all hope to unseat.

    But how appropriate is their application of that term to Barack Obama? Is it being used accurately, or merely to inflame the emotions of the Republican political base? And how did the term become so emotionally charged?

    For perspective, we turned to Steven Snow and Patricia Moynagh, two professors of government and politics at Wagner College.

    ‘SIXTY YEARS of the Cold War helps explain it,” said Patricia Moynagh. “The association of socialism with 'bad places' like North Korea, Cuba, the former Soviet Union. It became the ‘boogie monster.’ ”

    Moynagh, a political theorist, said that the extreme antipathy toward the term “socialism” in America could be explained in theoretical terms.

    “There’s a great line by Karl Marx that I think is appropriate, something to the effect that ‘the ruling ideology in every epoch is the ideology of the ruling class.’ If you’ve got 60 years of maligning socialism, and you’re trying to promote your own interests and the interests of your class,” she said, it’s understandable how the term “socialism” has “taken a beating.”

    Moynagh says it’s ironic that GOP candidates are trying to stick President Obama with the “socialist” tag.
    “He’s really a center-right politician, in practice,” she said, “though he thinks of himself as a progressive.
    “Had he been a socialist, he would have approached the banking crisis a few years ago differently, maybe nationalizing some of the banks — not all of them, but some of them. But he didn’t do anything like that.”

    Moynagh added that, even though many on the right characterize the health insurance reforms Obama pushed through Congress a couple of years ago as “socialist,” most of them are probably happy with at least some of its particular provisions, such as the one that allows parents to continue including their adult children on their health insurance until they reach age 26.

    STEVEN SNOW observed that, while democratic socialist parties are a routine feature of the political landscape in most Western countries — including our next-door neighbor to the north — the United States has never had a socialist party that was politically successful. The result is that most Americans have no first-hand experience of what a real, ordinary socialist party looks like.

    “The closest thing we had to a successful socialist candidate for president was Eugene V. Debs, who ran his 1920 campaign from a prison cell,” Snow said. “He was fantastically popular in comparison to any other socialist who’s run — but in terms of real electoral success, he didn’t come close.”

    Why not?

    In part, Snow said, because of our history of immigration.

    “The large numbers of working-class immigrants have been divided from one another by ethnicity, language and religion,” Snow said. “Race is also a key issue here. White workers have had a very difficult time expressing class solidarity with African-American workers due to racism. This has translated into little electoral support from a united working class for socialist parties. Because the socialist parties in the U.S. have been exceptionally weak, and have never held national power, Americans have had little experience with or understanding of socialism.”

    Like Moynagh, Snow concludes that “socialism” became the bogeyman of American politics as a result of the Cold War.

    “Due to the Cold War, the U.S. population has been fed a constant diet of anti-socialist propaganda,” Snow said. “When President Truman wanted money from Congress in 1947 to fight the Cold War, for example, Senator Vandenburg told him that if he wanted to be effective, his speech must ‘scare the hell out of the American people.’ This was precisely what happened, and I think it has influenced our attitudes about socialism ever since. Socialism was equated with the Soviet Union — which, we were told, was our mortal enemy.

    “The fact is, Americans are often in favor of socialist policies but oppose ‘socialism’ in some abstract, Stalinist, scary sense,” Snow said. “For instance, public-opinion polling has indicated that 70 to 80 percent of Americans agree with the notion that the government should help the truly needy who are unable to help themselves.”

      • Uncategorized

    Popular Stories

    • Wagner College stone sign1 Wagner College stone sign1

      Higher Ed Authority Carnegie: Wagner Graduates Earn More

      June 17, 2025

    • annfrank art annfrank art

      Teens Create Artworks Inspired by Anne Frank

      June 13, 2025

    • SL17404 SL17404

      Congratulating the Wagner College 2024 Senior Award Winners

      May 20, 2024
     

    Related Stories

    Wagner College stone sign1Hidden Image June 2, 2025 Wagner Student Named 2025–2026 Newman Civic Fellow The prestigious yearlong fellowship recognizes student leaders who are committed to creating positive change in their communities.
    Graphic for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023, "Secure Our World."Hidden Image October 18, 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Safeguard Your Digital Life Wagner College is proud to participate in Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual initiative designed to promote the importance of cybersecurity and empower individuals and organizations to stay safe
    Ludwig Campbell ASA1 Bernadette Ludwig scaled e1697641032648Hidden Image October 18, 2023 Seahawk Spotlight: Stanley Drama Award winner, faculty/alum research, new grants, and ping-pong By Lindsey Schwarzbach Seahawk Spotlight is a monthly roundup covering campus happenings and student, faculty and staff accolades for Wagner College. Below are highlights from October 2023. Wagner faculty
    Fay Parris of the Staten Island Lawyers Association walked through the exhibit on a visit to the center in July 2023.Hidden Image October 13, 2023 Wagner College Holocaust Center plans major events leading up to 10th anniversary Fay Parris of the Staten Island Lawyers Association walked through the exhibit on a visit to the center in July 2023. By Max Dickstein The Wagner College Holocaust Center is approaching its 10th anniversary
    DSC00293Hidden Image September 29, 2023 ‘We need you desperately,’ NYC Schools Chancellor David C. Banks tells educators at Wagner College Teacher Resiliency Forum By Andrew Housman Delivering an impassioned keynote speech and earning a standing ovation at the Wagner College Teacher Resiliency Panel Forum on Thursday, New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks
    angelo 2022 commencement 1Hidden Image September 18, 2023 President Angelo Araimo to retire following 2023-24 academic year Wagner College President Angelo Araimo Longtime leader to conclude 30-year tenure, calls Wagner College “strong and poised to thrive” Angelo Araimo, president of Wagner College, announced his retirement
    Hidden Image September 16, 2023 Seahawk Spotlight: Preserving Wagner archives, a pilot dance program in Brooklyn, and more By Lindsey Schwarzbach Seahawk Spotlight is a monthly roundup covering campus happenings and student, faculty and staff accolades for Wagner College. Below are highlights from September 2023. Wagner
    DSC05268editHidden Image August 28, 2023 Wagner College students settle in as 2023-24 academic year begins By Max Dickstein Hundreds of Wagner College students made their way through campus on the first day of classes on Monday, among them 410 new students and 100 transfers. History professor Lori Weintrob
    Evelyn L Spiro School of Nursing Wagner CollegeHidden Image August 16, 2023 Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing at Wagner College announces ACEN site visit The Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing at Wagner College will host a site visit from September 12-14, 2023, by the Accreditation Commission on Education in Nursing (ACEN) for the initial accreditation
     
    • Wagner Magazine

      Stories from alumni around the world.

      Read the magazine

    • Contact the newsroom

      communications@wagner.edu

    • Wagner in the media

      Wagner College news coverage

      Browse Catalog

    • Visit Campus
    • Explore Majors
    • Library
    • Make a Gift
    Wagner College
    Work One Campus Road
    Staten Island, NY 10301
    • CONTACT US
    • Privacy Policy
    Back top