Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) took to social media on Sunday to deliver an unsparing rebuke of his own party after a new CBS News poll indicated that Democrats now hold more favorable views of socialism than capitalism. The senator, who has repeatedly cast himself as a pro-capitalist Democrat, called the findings “lunacy” and warned that his party is drifting toward an ideology that has historically produced misery and poverty.
The poll, which surveyed 648 Democrats, found that 58% viewed socialism positively, while only 18% viewed it negatively and 24% had no opinion. When the same group was asked about capitalism, the numbers flipped dramatically: just 32% viewed it positively, while 50% viewed it negatively and 18% had no opinion.
Fetterman posted a screenshot of coverage of the poll on X on Aug. 16 and did not hold back. “The Democratic Party is becoming the party of socialism,” he wrote. “58% view socialism positively. 50% view capitalism negatively. I’m a proud free market capitalist. This is lunacy.”
In a follow-up post, he doubled down, writing: “These CBS numbers are deeply alarming. Democrats overwhelmingly support socialism and overwhelmingly oppose capitalism. Socialism results in misery and poverty every time it is tried. We must never allow the socialists to take power.”
The polling also revealed that support for socialism is strongest among Democrats who are college-educated, younger, or white — a finding that Fetterman said makes clear this is not a fringe phenomenon. “Make no mistake about it, this is not a fringe phenomenon confined to a few loud voices on social media; this isn’t the Democrat Party’s big tent letting in a small number of socialists, either,” he said. “This is, quite clearly, mainstream in the party.”
However, the poll shows the broader electorate remains more skeptical of socialism. Across all voters, 35% viewed socialism positively while 46% favored capitalism, and 42% viewed socialism negatively versus 43% for capitalism.
Fetterman has been vocal on this issue for months. Earlier this year, he described himself as a “strongly pro-capitalist Democrat” and credited capitalism with raising living standards around the world throughout history. In September, he cited Gallup polling in an interview with Forbes and recounted a conversation he had while visiting Croatia, a former communist nation. He said he asked a local resident what they thought of Democrats flirting with socialism and received a blunt response: “That’s the worst thing ever. You’re going to need a reality check if you ever adopt any of those things — you are morons.”
Fetterman’s comments come as his party faces a wider debate over its economic identity, with some progressive factions pushing for more socialist-aligned policies. The senator’s willingness to criticize his own party on this issue has drawn attention, given his prominent role in the Democratic caucus.
The senator’s remarks are likely to reignite internal Democratic tensions over how far the party should lean into left-wing economic proposals ahead of the 2026 midterms, which will determine whether Republicans maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/08/17/fetterman-trashes-socialism-in-his-party-n4956235
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