Ex-CNN Star Sounds Alarm After Poll Shows Dems Ditching Capitalism: ‘Socialism Will Not Sell… It Is a Loser’
Chris Cillizza, a former CNN and Washington Post journalist who is not a conservative, issued a stark warning about the Democratic Party’s increasing association with socialism. Cillizza highlighted recent Gallup polling showing that 66% of Democrats now view socialism favorably, while onyl 42% favor capitalism. He suggested this socialist drift could be a notable liability for Democrats in future elections, particularly in 2028, because socialism is generally unpopular with the broader American electorate.Cillizza advised prominent Democrats such as Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to abandon socialist labels and rebrand their platform as “economic populism” to improve their electability. He emphasized that Republicans could exploit the growing association between Democrats and socialism to brand them as anti-free market, which could threaten the party’s success.Ultimately, Cillizza urged Democrats to avoid embracing socialism publicly, as it may alienate mainstream voters and hand an advantage to the GOP.
Chris Cillizza, who spent years at CNN and The Washington Post, is not a conservative.
That makes his blunt warning Tuesday about the Democratic Party’s socialist drift all the more striking.
On his YouTube channel, Cillizza cited new Gallup polling released earlier in the day that found 66 percent of Democrats now view socialism favorably.
Only 42 percent of Democrats view capitalism favorably.
“I guess it’s not terribly surprising, but I do think if I am a Democrat who wants to win the 2028 election,” he noted, “that would worry me, candidly, because socialism broadly will not sell.”
“You can call it democratic socialism. You can call it whatever you want. But the idea of socialism will not sell in the country,” he added.
Cillizza continued, “And if Democrats are branded socialists, and numbers like this make it pretty easy to do that honestly, and factual to do it, I do not think that they will win. I think you have to reframe this.”
He urged the party’s stars — New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — to drop their socialist labels entirely.
He said Ocasio-Cortez could only hope for national viability in 2028 if she abandons words like “democratic socialism and socialism.”
Instead, he suggested Democrats rebrand their platform as “economic populism.”
He said that if he were advising the party, he would convey that the Gallup poll results pose an electability threat.
He argued Republicans could easily use the survey to brand Democrats as socialists and call them on rejecting the free market.
“Those are things that I think Democrats have to worry about,” he warned.
Cillizza concluded, “Socialism will not sell to the broad swath of the American public. It is a loser. And even if your base views it positively, don’t talk about it.”
Here’s the point: Cillizza is offering Democrats a way out of their own madness.
If they take his advice, it would be the best outcome for the country to have two healthy, functioning parties.
If they ignore him, Republicans could be handed a gift.
When even a former CNN mainstay says socialism is electoral poison, conservatives should be more than happy to let Democrats drink it.
If they choose not to, everyone would be better for it.
It’s difficult to argue with Cillizza’s points, as he’s essentially laying out the Gallup poll as a win-win for the GOP.
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