Is there any hope in the fight against socialism?
Always, but it is set to take some work from Republicans as Democratic Socialists continue to win their insurgent movement inside the Democrat party.
Canadian entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary said in a podcast episode on Tuesday that he does not believe the socialist movement in the United States will gain any lasting ground. He argued that Americans tend to dip into socialism roughly every 20 years before returning to free-market principles when those ideas fail to deliver.
There’s a growing conversation about whether America is moving toward a more socialist economic model, but I think history tells a different story. Every couple of decades, these ideas gain momentum, only to run into the same practical realities. In my experience teaching young… pic.twitter.com/lZgjhlBzSq
— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) June 23, 2026
That may be true to an extent, but history also suggests those shifts have not been automatic. Since the early 20th century, when socialist ideas began gaining traction in the United States, it has often taken sustained and organized resistance from conservatives, explicitly and unapologetically pro-free market, to push those movements back.
It took a conservative movement committed to economic principles, not just cultural issues, and it would be foolish to believe this socialist upset in New York on Tuesday will die down on its own. Today, it is even hard to find Republicans or conservatives who defend markets in both moral and practical terms without sounding like free-market dogma.
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O’Leary also said that younger people who are often drawn to socialism tend to change their views once they start working and realize how much of each paycheck goes to taxes. But polling from last night’s elections suggests the charge is being led by high-income, college-educated voters, which means the pattern may be harder to dismiss than O’Leary implies.
Do not be fooled: the threat of socialism is hanging over America, and it is unlikely to fade without a serious effort from the right that goes beyond simply saying, “Socialism bad, capitalism good.”
O’Leary’s caption on the posted video, however, provides a lens through which we can see a ready solution.
"I continue to believe entrepreneurship remains the backbone of the American economy," he wrote. "People are free to choose where they live, work, and build businesses, and competition between states and ideas has long been one of America’s greatest strengths. The debate will continue, but I’m betting on innovation, opportunity, and the enduring appeal of the American dream."
The answer is to put economic freedom back at the center of conservative policy. It means an economy that lets young people start businesses, take risks, think creatively, and keep more of what they earn, not one that buries them in regulation while protecting entrenched corporations. Conservatives should stop treating free markets like a slogan and start defending them as the moral and practical engine of opportunity, competition, and upward mobility.
If the right wants to win the next generation, it must offer more than opposition to the left; it must make a forceful case for ownership, enterprise, and the freedom to build a future on one's own terms.
