Democratic Socialism basically means someone who aligns themselves generally with socialist ideology but views ML as “authoritarian” and opposes them
Do they really view ML states this way, or is this a tactical choice so they're not forced to defend the Soviet Union in the heart of the most anticommunist country in the world? And yeah, you can argue that "the USSR was good, actually" would be a productive conversation to have on the campaign trail, but you can make the opposite argument just as convincingly (if not more so).
Of course, it will vary depending on the individual DemSoc, but look at Bernie: visited the USSR back in the 80s, made some of the most pro-Cuba comments any presidential candidate has made during a campaign, had a laser-like focus on domestic issues, and valued a chance at getting something done in the near term over ideological purity. That all lines up with not opposing ML states so much as thinking that open support for them would be electoral poison.
Do they really view ML states this way, or is this a tactical choice so they're not forced to defend the Soviet Union in the heart of the most anticommunist country in the world? And yeah, you can argue that "the USSR was good, actually" would be a productive conversation to have on the campaign trail, but you can make the opposite argument just as convincingly (if not more so).
Of course, it will vary depending on the individual DemSoc, but look at Bernie: visited the USSR back in the 80s, made some of the most pro-Cuba comments any presidential candidate has made during a campaign, had a laser-like focus on domestic issues, and valued a chance at getting something done in the near term over ideological purity. That all lines up with not opposing ML states so much as thinking that open support for them would be electoral poison.