Response to Sanders' Fox News Town Hall Shows US Fear of ‘Socialism' Fading

© AP Photo / John LocherDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a convention of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers April 8, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a convention of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers April 8, 2019 - Sputnik International
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The audience reaction to US Sen. Bernie Sanders' commentary at the Fox News-hosted town hall this week is proving that the term socialism is no longer a powerful scare tactic, Richard Wolff, professor of economics emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, told Sputnik.

"The bugaboo word of ‘socialism' is fading," Wolff told Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear on Tuesday. "It's not performing the scare function that it was designed to perform, because people understand that, know that they've been there, heard that, and they're not going to be fooled yet again."

During Sanders' town hall, audience members repeatedly erupted into cheers when the Brooklyn native described his "Medicare for All" proposal, touching on high prices that Americans have to pay for prescription drugs.

"Should we raise the minimum wage to a living wage?" Sanders asked as the crowd responded with a stern "Yes."

"Should we rebuild our crumbling infrastructure? Yes. Should we make sure that our veterans get the healthcare that they have earned? Yes. Should we make sure that we do not cut social security, Medicare or Medicaid? Yes. Should we give huge tax breaks to billionaires? No!" the candidate continued.

​Wolff told hosts Brian Becker and John Kiriakou that the attendees' reactions signal that times have changed and that the town hall response reflects "how [people] have felt for a long time."

"The stupidity of trying to scare people that if there's a national covering of everybody with health insurance that they will ‘lose something' when their employer-based health care is replaced by a government one counts on people's ignorance," he added.

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