If this take on a recent Rasmussen poll is correct, all I can do is break out into hysterical fits of laughter:

A somewhat surprising poll was just released showing that only 53% of Americans “believe capitalism is better than socialism.” Amongst the under-thirty set, the two enjoy almost equal support, 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided…

I see this poll as even more evidence of how widespread the American people’s rejection of conservative values has become. Ever since Sarah Palin ceased to be an attractive-but-unknown face from Alaska, conservatives have railed against any attempt to use government spending to mitigate the present economic downturn, labeling it “Socialism!” The alternative, they say, is to double-down on George W. Bush’s policies, cut taxes on the super-rich, and rely on the invisible hand of the market to make everything all better again.

In other words, the American people have been subjected to a months-long campaign which defines President Obama’s popular policies to improve the economy as “socialism,” and George W. Bush’s disastrous policies as “not socialism.” Is it any shock, then, that many Americans no longer find the word “socialism” very scary?

Here’s Digby’s take:

When the McCain Palin people started blathering on about Obama being a socialist I wondered whether it would blow back on the conservatives. After all, only old people like me, who grew up during the cold war, still have that reflexive freakout over the word. Young people just see it as another political ideology.

So, when the rightwingers went nuts and started calling this very popular young president a socialist, rather than tarring him with an unpopular label, they ended up validating socialism by applying it to a popular, mainstream politician.

So the ever-so-crafty Republican plan to basically slander Obama as a dirty pinko commie is backfiring to such an extent that Americans are becoming more accepting of socialism!?!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!*

Is there anything these numbnuts in the GOP can’t fuck up?

* As a disclaimer, I do not in any way endorse socialism/communism/fascism/NancyGraceism/etc. Ongoing ownership by the government of the means of production is a bad thing (and is not something we’re headed toward – notwithstanding Beck, Malkin and NRO’s protestations to the contrary).