There are, for example, Wikipedia articles that might help.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_politics


The political terms "Left" and "Right" were coined during the French Revolution (1789–1799), referring to the seating arrangement in the French Estates General: those who sat on the left generally opposed the monarchy and supported the revolution, including the creation of a republic and secularization,[5] while those on the right were supportive of the traditional institutions of the Old Regime. Use of the term "Left" became more prominent after the restoration of the French monarchy in 1815 when it was applied to the "Independents".[6] The word "wing" was appended to Left and Right in the late 19th century, usually with disparaging intent and "left-wing" was applied to those who were unorthodox in their religious or political views.

Foxnews and Donnie in particular have turned such terms into jokes. The right wing knows their policies are unpopular, so they operate by confusion and distraction.

They imbue terms associated with their party with goodness and terms associated with Democrats with badness. They care vastly more about the emotional content in communication because the logic is squarely against them.

For example, in any discussion about tax rates, they'll decry any tax hike on rich people as "socialism" and "redistributive" because such terms generally have negative connotations in America, a holdover from the Cold War, even though such concepts had next to nothing to do with our conflicts with the ussr.

Meanwhile, they insist any tax cut for rich people is "capitalist" because that's our system.

Of course, it's idiotic to go about screaming that a tax rate if 38% is socialist while a tax rate of 35% is capitalist, but that's the state of political discourse in America, thanks to right-wing propagandists.

Think of a wedge.

You stick the thin pointy end under the door, the wedge holds the door open, and then everything else can come in the door.

They use these emotional issues (abortion, socialism, immigration) to keep their voting base firmly with them. As long as they legislate with their base in mind on those issues, the base stays with them. Then they can do whatever they want on other issues (like robbing the Treasury).

The side that doesn't want Democrats in power because they are the progressive party. They spent eight years calling President Obama a socialist or a Trojan horse Republican. Now they're calling Democrats either a socialist or a capitalist. They want Republicans in power.

...what's NOT socialism is anything conservatives like. Anything they don't like is "socialism".

they see who they're against, and then declare them socialists.

I am for some national plans, but I am mainly a Capitalist. However, my right wing brother calls me a socialist anyway, hence my nic.
Cons today call anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh socialist. Truth is a forgotten word for many in today's GOP.