Michael Hiltzik: They tried to call FDR and the New Deal 'socialist' too. Here's how he responded

The term "socialism" has been enjoying something of a vogue lately, typically used to describe policies that were part of American mainstream politics as recently as the 1980s.

For example, listen to Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on Feb. 5: "Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country....Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country."

The opening for Trump's remark was provided by politicians such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). She describes herself as a "democratic socialist," even though in historical terms her actual policies are resoundingly moderate.

That includes her suggestion that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes, say 70 percent of all income over $10 million a year - a tax burden on the rich that's actually much lower