Why is it so hard for them to just say they're an FDR Democrat or something? Americans hate the term "socialism" and are conditioned from a young age to hate or be skeptical of the government.
Go with something that people know and are comfortable with, keep relating your ideas back to things like Social Security that are popular instead of bringing up all the Cold War hang ups that Americans have. Voters are small-c conservatives who are skeptical of change, so talk about your politics as being normal, mundane things that will support people in their everyday lives and are normal in American history but have just gotten off track over the past few decades. Americans love freedom so keep relating your policies back to enabling people to live free lives.
And don't be afraid to use a sort of soft nationalism to dress up your policies ("Make America Great Again", but for reviving unions, a fair tax code, and getting people healthcare); use America's national myths to your advantage and utilize nostalgia to get older voters on board with you.
Terms like "social democrat", "welfare capitalist", "reform capitalist", etc are MUCH better and more accurate than "socialist" or "democratic socialist"
Better. Say you’re a Democrat.
