How could the Left successfully argue for the expropriation of the means of production when that very capital was simultaneously employing and raising the living standards of millions of Americans?

They realized early on that, unlike the serfdoms and monarchies of Europe, the American free market system was too resilient and prosperous to take down in one fell swoop. They instead opted for a more ‘centrist’ approach to their ends.

They would successively corrode the foundation of American capitalism from the inside with an endless series of new taxes, regulations, and bureaucracy, with the aim of stifling industry into submission.

These initiatives were always presented to the people as a way not to replace the system, but instead to “improve” it.