I think Europeans cast the threshold at a different point than do North Americans, no?  I mean, "socialism" in America is understood to encompass public ownership of the means of production (even if partial) while excluding the redistributive nature of taxation, while Europeans would include both, no?  Furthermore, I don't think Americans would consider Social Security as "socialist".  Anyway, my overall impression is that Americans have this aversion to "socialism" that the Europeans don't have.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne