Why do US liberal fear the socialist label?

After reading many blogs, news items, and commentaries about this new USA that is beginning to emerge, I have come to an odd sensation:

 

       Why are Liberal/Democrats so fearful of being labeled "socialist?"

 

Many bloggers on the left are expending an extremely enormous amount of energy in an attempt to prove that their new President-elect or they are not socialistic, their agenda is not socialistic, etc. Why not be intellectually honest and just admit that BHO is a socialist and that their agenda is socialist?

 

• They want more government control and intervention.
• They want income redistribution.
• They want government to nationalize health care.
• They want to nationalize education.
• They want to completely regulate our nationalized financial systems.
• They want to rearrange the political landscape via social engineering.
• They want judicial activism,

and the list goes on.

 

So if these goals are so noble and necessary, why all the subterfuge and obfuscation about the fact that these are socialist goals? Why are the liberal/Democrats so afraid of being labeled as socialists?

 

It would appear that they would want to stand up for their beliefs and shout to the world that they are socialists and believe that this agenda and political formation is the best future for the USA.

 

The answer is simple: they also fear what socialism is and what it inevitably blossoms into upon full maturity.

 

BHO in his own words from speeches, books, and sermons has shown that he wants the old USA to be "thrown down" (using the walls of Jericho as an analogy) and a new USA (change we need) to rise from the ashes.