Public opinion polls - to say nothing of the election last year of Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as New York City mayor - indicate that support for socialism in America is rising, especially among Democrats and the young. For an influential segment of the American electorate, socialism's abysmal track record has not stymied belief that, according to the DSA website, the people should "collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives." In practice that means that government should manage more of the economy.