social capitalism, or socially responsible capitalism, etc. because we are not trying to seize the means of production. Plenty of people would support social programs and fair regulations that benefit consumers and employees.

This "branding disaster" is not the fault of the Democratic Party; it's the fault of Brand New Congress PAC and Justice Democrat PAC that jumped on the bandwagon because they sniffed a money-making opportunity.

It's a shame that all Democratic candidates now have to run away from a toxic label that only applies to a few.

or the rest of the country. Please note that I am not talking about them as a whole. Just in how they brands themselves. The movement as a whole would greatly benefit by calling itself Progressive Capitalists or something of the sort.

Democratic Socialism is a brand. It caters to a specific segment. It matters little that they are capitalists. It's about individuals branding themselves for elections.

Liberal Democrats should embrace advanced capitalism the way Elizabeth Warren has done.

Liberal democracy with advanced capitalism is the best way to ensure both prosperity and freedom. The Social Democracies that some socialists like to point to as "models" all have advance capitalist economies. None is a socialist state.

Prosperous liberal democracies can afford to care for our own and the commitment to do so is what makes us liberals. But that ain't socialism.

t's about messaging and framing the narrative. Republicans are way better than Dems at this.
And it's about the house and senate not just the race for the white house.

It’s fair to assume that come the 2020 election, both the Reps and Dems have a lock on 35% of the vote. It's absurd, beyond naïve to think that talking socialism, a guaranteed income and eliminating ICE is going to capture a majority of the remaining 30% of the electorate. They’re absolute, 100% loser talking points.

That thread elsewhere on DU caught my attention:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11885339

If you're branding yourself as a "socialist", you instantly lose 50% of the voters. Why in the world would you do that?

Sure, voters love socialist policies, they just hate the label. If your goal is to enact the policies, then focus on those and dump the label.

It's just branding.

Just rebrand it. Works for the bad guys. Why can’t it work for us, too?

I think “progressive capitalism” sounds pretty doggone interesting! What I think most Americans really deep-down want is a form of “tempered capitalism”. Not unfettered capitalism or runaway capitalism that just means a feeding frenzy for the very rich while everybody else gets either screwed or left behind, or both. But that takes too long to explain for the “Short Attention Span Theater” attendees.

Instead of introducing the American proletariat to the term "Democratic Socialism," which is an abstract notion, he should have just said "I'm an FDR Democrat."

Even on DU, people constantly confuse "Democratic Socialism" with "Socialism" proper.

And there are some on DU who intentionally conflate their meanings so as to score points against Bernie.

Perhaps the biggest concern I have about Bernie's branding -- and, implicitly, the looming branding problem in the Democratic Party -- is his insistence on seeking to identify himself as a particular type of Democrat. Why can't he just say he is a "Democrat?" His type of branding seems intent on causing the same type of division within the Democratic Party that occurred when the Republicans were divided between "Tea Party" Republicans versus "Centrist Republicans." The very labeling of segments of the party accentuates rifts rather than reinforcing unity.

Why can't Bernie Sanders become a Democrat, and then describe himself as a Democrat? He does neither, and yet he seeks the party's nomination for the highest office in the land. It's not a formula for success... neither for Bernie, nor for the Democratic Party.

Which is basically FDRs New Deal, but aimed at creating green jobs.

I think the word "green", however, is a turn off to some. Branding is tricky.

.... tweet #PregressiveCapitalism to get it to be less British and less wonkish.

They're going to call you that either way."
Ulysses S. Grant

Fuck Republicans.

I must admit that I am puzzled by your comment.
The entire point of the original article is to warn Democrats about the dangers of how Democrats refer to themselves. If Democrats choose to label themselves a "Democratic Socialists," they will alienate a broad segment of the population.
It has nothing to do with how Republicans refer to Democrats.