Socialism (collective action and sustenance) is good for some things.
Socialism really sucks for some other things.
Socialism's biggest obstacle is that wee bothersome phrase: "Consent of the governed" .
Q. Why is the "consent of the governed" bothersome?
A. Because the word Socialism has been used for decades as a pejorative, used by ideologues to equate any form of it to the "evil empire" and banana republics, and for the people who fail to understand that we have for centuries been a mixed economy, i.e. having a private sector and a public sector in providing services. The former a for-profit enterprise, and the latter a non profit accountable to the voter
That's a very pretty explanation.
Trouble is, it does not address the 'consent of the governed' issue in its intended context; namely, being governed in a given manner with the consent of The People.
I seriously doubt that - once unmasked - Joe Stalin or Mao or any of their satellites and laptops, like the North Koreans or Khmer Rouge, ruled with the consent of the governed.
Socialism has one of two ways of maintaining power.
1. Blood
2. Entitlements
So far, only (2) has been tried here, on a limited basis.
Eagerly sought and perpetuated by both the perpetually needy and the perpetually lazy.
With the Dems, it's "
hook 'em early, hook 'em hard, make 'em dependent, and make 'em vote"
Akin to what the Corporate Whore Pubs do with their Big Business campaign funders.