Robert Reich argues that politicians calling Medicare for All, Social Security, and debt-free education 'socialism' is a deliberate rhetorical strategy—one that's been documented in political discourse. This framing matters because it shapes which policies get debated on substance versus dismissed through emotional language; politicians do regularly deploy the 'socialism' label to oppose these social programs, and this pattern is well-reported. What the post doesn't spell out: economists across the political spectrum disagree sharply on whether these programs are actually socialist or are instead mixed-economy social insurance—the semantic dispute itself is part of the political strategy Reich is identifying. Whether labeling these programs 'socialism' constitutes a 'scare tactic' depends on your perspective about political intent, but the fact that the label gets used repeatedly in political opposition is clear.