There are two mind sets which we should consider. First, many Americans still remeber the cold war, even tough it occured in the last century and gen x, andy was uneffected by it. A significant perception that has been a leftover of the cold war was the fact that Communism was the great evil that must be defeated. And socialism has been twinned as that great evil. THis leads to the second mind set of the ideological war between the 'free world' and the totalitarian dictatorship of Communism. For the 'free world" the dictatorship of Communism was a threat to Freedom and was brutal.

The second mind set which is what we have to overcome the 'cold war' fear of socialism wit, is that there is a socialism that is not even remotely related to the Socilaim of wither Hitler or Stalin. It is a socialism that was born in America. While many have been inspired by the First International and Marx-Engels as a social scientists; it is, in this mind set we cannot find a doctrinaire treatment of Marx-Engels. In this first mind set, Marxist Leninist thought is almost a relgion in itself, and democratic centralism is pushed as some kind of new religious doctrine which adherrants must accept or be cast out as heretics. This new docrine is rejected in varying degrees and proper socialism should see the historical significance of Democratic Socialism and/or Social Democracy as a natural historical flow for the American Political body. Such a view point, while recognizing the positive contributions of Marxist Leninism, considers the possibility that because American Socialism was already an advanced Capitalist industrial society, had already a an active and political aware working class met the conditions outlined by Marx stood a better chance of having a Socialist revolution. However because this revolution was hijacked by Lenin, the second Americann revolution led by the working class was stalled by reactionary anti working class laws passed by various presidents and Congress. A working class revolution was in the making, by the time of Lenin. But then the fear of the Bolshevics led to a campaign of putting down the American Working Class and the cold war effectively brainwashed the majority against Socialism. And the attack continues against working class as today Coporatists intensifies attacks against Unions and our lawmakers debate anti-union laws.

And the majority of Americans still insist that socialism is communism and that Russia was the main conspirator and will reject it automatically on that basis. Everywhere I go, every time I mention socialism, the response is the Soviet Union fell and no one is gong to follow the Red Flag, except the fringe groups who worship Lenin, Mao, Trotsky, Castro and pretend they have the new religion that will save hummanity. We have to be proactive in making the cold war communism a historic relic, and promote a entirely new vision of Socialism based on open and full participatory democracy at the grassroots. The communism of the cold war has to be treated as a dead relic of the past, buried with the Berlin Wall and symbolized by the Statue of Lenin falling in the Red Sqaure.

There are many forms of socialism. As Wikipedia states, "As a political movement, socialism includes a diverse array of political philosophies, ranging from reformism to revolutionary socialism."

The people you are talking to have legitimate concerns. I myself am a Cold-War honorably discharged veteran.

Like most Americans, I'm all for reformism to improve our existing government but have to say a great big NO to revolutionary socialism.

This is why it's really important to develop a platform that people can qualify to see if what you have to offer is something they believe in and want. Feel me?