Yesterday Gallup released the results of a poll that found that while only 36 percent of Americans have a positive view of socialism, 53 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of self-described liberals view it favorably.

The poll simply presented respondents with terms without definitions and asked them whether their immediate reaction was positive or negative.

This is just another datapoint to suggest that right-wingers are well within their rights to condemn elements of the congressional Democrats’ agenda as socialism. After all, if Democratic senators are pursuing levels of government interference that would make even a self-proclaimed socialist balk, they are only doing something that over half their constituents approve of. Socialism is a term that liberals and Democrats want to avoid, but the fact is that socialism is a real form of government, one that is popular in countries across the world. If, as a congressman, some social democratic policy is what you want to enact, you should have the courage in your convictions to call it by its name and say that you like it. After all, your constituents are comfortable doing so for Gallup.