The Politics of Fear and Mislabeling

By Dr. Julianne Malveaux —

Now that Zohran Mamdani is the Mayor-elect of New York City, expect the slings and arrows at him to intensify.  He has been called everything but a child of God, and he gleefully claims himself as a democratic socialist, a Muslim, a progressive social justice advocate and a leader who recognizes the shoulders on which he stands, shouting out some of the workers responsible for his victory.

He is not a communist, whatever that means in a contemporary context.  But it serves rabid Republicans to portray him as such and to aggressively paint him with the frightening brush of an era long past, invoking McCarthyism and other fears.  Folks should not buy into the nonsense.

Whenever Republicans don’t get their way, they bandy about the word communism and accuse any Democrat—especially a progressive one—of socialism or communism. It’s a lazy, fear-mongering habit that’s been with us since the Cold War. The goal is simple: discredit any attempt to make government work for ordinary people. But the difference between democratic socialism, socialism, and communism matters—especially when the right wing uses those labels as weapons instead of ideas.

Democratic Socialism: People Before Profit

Democratic socialism starts with democracy. It argues that political equality means little without economic fairness. It doesn’t aim to abolish capitalism, but to make it humane. Democratic socialists believe everyone deserves healthcare, education, and housing—not as privileges, but as rights.

When Bernie Sanders calls for Medicare for All or tuition-free college, that’s democratic socialism. So was Franklin Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights, which promised every American a decent job, a good home, and medical care. Democratic socialism keeps capitalism but demands that it serve the people instead of corporations.

Republicans deride these ideas as “socialism,” even as they champion corporate bailouts and tax breaks for billionaires. That’s socialism for the rich, austerity for the rest of us.

Socialism: Economic Democracy

Socialism, more broadly, calls for collective control of major industries—utilities, healthcare, and transportation—so that public needs outweigh private profits. It’s not about government domination; it’s about giving power back to workers and communities.

Many of the rights Americans now take for granted—Social Security, child labor laws, the 40-hour workweek—came from socialist movements. Their goal was fairness, not bureaucracy. And while some socialist experiments faltered, the principle endures: an economy should serve people, not exploit them.

When today’s progressives fight for a living wage or paid family leave, they’re continuing that legacy of economic democracy.

Communism: The Dream and the Distortion

Communism, as Karl Marx envisioned it, imagined a classless society without private property or exploitation—a noble dream that turned dark in practice. In the Soviet Union, China, and elsewhere, centralized power suffocated freedom. But no serious American leader today advocates communism.

Still, Republicans invoke it like a curse word. They call climate action “communist.” They call student loan forgiveness “communist.” They know better, but fear works better than facts.

The Politics of the Smear

This pattern isn’t new. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began talking about economic justice, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI branded him a communist. When Black leaders demanded jobs, land, and reparations, they were painted as radicals. The label “socialist” has long been code for anyone—especially Black people—who challenge America’s racial and economic order.

Even now, when we talk about investing in housing, education, or health, critics cry “socialism!” But they’re not defending democracy; they’re defending privilege. In truth, the wealthiest one percent already practice their own version of collectivism—controlling the economy together for their benefit.

Reclaiming the Conversation

Democratic socialism is not a threat to democracy; its democracy fulfilled. It means that freedom should extend beyond the ballot box to the workplace and the marketplace. Socialism, at its moral core, insists that human life matters more than profit. And communism, for all its failures, began as a call to end exploitation—a call we still need to hear.

So, when Republicans cry “communism,” what they really fear is equality. They fear an economy that values workers as much as shareholders, and a democracy that includes everyone—especially those long left out.

If demanding justice, equity, and dignity makes one a “socialist,” then maybe socialism is simply another name for democracy that keeps its promises.