Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said he doesn’t think a “socialist” candidate will win the White House.
“I do think there are elements of our party that are going too far towards socialism,” Mr. Moulton said in an interview with Yahoo Finance posted online Monday. “The fact that I, as a Democrat, get asked now in interviews like this, are you a socialist — I never even imagined that a few years ago.”
“I mean, give me a break — I’m a Democrat, not a socialist,” he said. “America is not a socialist county, and I don’t think a socialist candidate is going to win this race. And frankly, even if a socialist candidate did, they’re not going to get anything through Congress to make any changes for the American people.”
Mr. Moulton said there should be free-market competition in health care, like in business.
“And I say this as the only candidate in the race who actually gets single-payer, socialized medicine through the VA,” said Mr. Moulton, an Iraq War veteran.
With Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont staking a claim to the “democratic socialist” label, many others in the Democratic presidential field have been forced to defend capitalism in recent weeks and months.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said the challenge of how to make capitalism “work for everyone” is critical to the future of American democracy.
“I think capitalism, right now, isn’t working,” Mr. Hickenlooper told Yahoo Finance senior columnist Rick Newman. “When I was a kid, capitalism — it provided security and opportunity.”
Rep. Tim Ryan said he is a “free enterprise Democrat.”
“We can make this happen,” said Mr. Ryan, Ohio Democrat. “It’s not brain surgery — it takes intention. It takes passion and commitment to working-class people, and when we have this growth, how do we cut workers in on the deal?”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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