I saw something interesting the other day which pointed out that the meaning of "socialist" to America's political left, in 2019, is very different from its original meaning. Today people use it when talking about very basic social programs like public health care and regulated employment benefits. Because we're at a point now where even those fundamental protections are considered "extreme". Originally the word's meaning was much closer to that of "communist", which is probably the source of the miscommunication.