The 2nd issue is most Americans have a vastly truncated political perspective. "Communism" means the same thing as "left."
This is in part the fault of us media which has for decades only given air to a very limited spectrum of ideas. And when people felt constrained by the sameness of their options they have opened the escape valve on the right ONLY.
Because they know the OTHER escape valve leads to social democracy and the end of the wealth gap.