A plurality of Democrats think it would be a “good thing” for the U.S. to move toward socialism, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday -- the latest sign of the Democratic Party’s lurch to the left.
The poll asked voters if it would be a “good thing or a bad thing for the United States to move away from capitalism and more toward socialism.” Forty percent of Democrats said it would be a good thing, while only 34 percent said it would be a bad thing.
Among all voters polled, 54 percent said a move toward socialism would be bad, with only 24 percent saying it would be good. Republicans were more united against the shift, with 80 percent saying socialism would be a bad move, and eight percent saying it would be good.
The poll also found that voters prefer increasing spending on domestic programs over cutting taxes and reducing spending, and their preferred way to finance that spending is by taxing the wealthy.
Other polls have shown a similar move left from not only Democrats, but Americans in general.
Back in 2010, 68 percent of young people, 18-29 years old, said they approved of capitalism, while 51 percent said they approved of socialism, according to Gallup. Fast-forward to August 2018, and that same age group backs socialism over capitalism, 51 percent to 45 percent.
Democrats, meanwhile, were evenly split between capitalism and socialism back in 2010. But now, 57 percent say they hold a positive view of socialism, compared with just 47 percent who say the same for capitalism.
The poll is the latest sign of the party’s move to the left, particularly as a number of 2020 presidential hopefuls have embraced once-fringe policies such as Medicare-for-all and a Green New Deal.
On Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced a new “wealth tax” proposal on Americans with more than $50 million in assets.
"We need structural change. That’s why I’m proposing something brand new – an annual tax on the wealth of the richest Americans. I’m calling it the 'Ultra-Millionaire Tax' & it applies to that tippy top 0.1% – those with a net worth of over $50M," Warren, who sits on the left of her party, tweeted.
There has also been a push in the House for more left-wing policies, particularly with the entrance of freshman including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has floated tax rates as high as 70 percent for rich Americans.
Her call for a Green New Deal -- which would seek to focus on income inequality and climate change by funding a host of radical ideas on liberal wish-lists and overhaul the nation's energy sector -- has been embraced by a number of 2020 hopefuls already.
