The harm in embracing the label of socialism is that, believe it or not, there is a portion of Americans who could be classified as "undecided." They are typically the ones who determine which candidate will win elections. They are the ones most susceptible to influence from either side. Socialism is a toxic term in the USA, and accepting the label would be suicide for the Democrats. It would give Republicans the largest "I told you so!" platform in the history of them ever being able to say "I told you so!" There's a reason that very few politicians in this country have won elections with the label of being a socialist (or communist).
But is that really true? The notion that the "undecided" voters decide elections does not seem true to me anymore. it all depends on turnout for democrats, and their base is increasingly young and wants to take radical action.
The average democrat might be more comfortable with biden than with AOC, that is true. But there are alsoa lot of democrat leaning voters who have to overcome voter suppression, do actual work to vote. And they only do it if they are fired up.
And firing up these people is something someone like Stacey Abrams can (and Trump could by being terrible), but in a potential Biden vs Desantis election, or in state elections, that is very hard.
I do think democrats would do well to not put focus on the undecided voters (which are not big in numbers anymore) but find ways to energize their base.
That is how republicans win, after all. In the trump era, they said "fuck it" and run on manic fever dreams like building a wall. I am not saying democrats need to do the same, but firing up your voter base is something democrats must do in order to win.
Regarding Biden becoming a lame duck - He already kind of is a lame duck. His approval rating is one of the lowest, historically, of any president in the USA. His age is a major concern. I honestly have no idea how the mid-terms will go, but Biden's presidency hasn't been able to produce much beyond "we're not Trump!
Personally, I think biden was very successful for the hand he was given. He got out more than i expected he could, and he did pass good things. Biden is not a historically unsuccessful president, he just lives in a very polarized time.
Approval ratings increasingly do not mean a lot anymore, in my book. They mean a little, but not a lot.
It is clear that democrats, no matter how far in the pocket of corporations, reflect the views of the electorate better than republicans do but republicans win elections via voter suppression. That is the biggest issue to me right now, the system being broken in ways that make it very hard for halfway decent people to act.
Midterms are probably going to make it even harder, and that is a huge issue. I am usually not alarmist, but i see america on the brink of falling apart.
