How do you get an Social Democratic America?

[Nyvis]

I think the simplest way to get an US social democracy is to start outside its borders. No USSR should do it. Without the red scare and split between socialist and comintern affiliated communists, an unified socialist party with a reformist bent could keep building up. The solution to the next big depression could look like a coalition between socialists and the more populist members of the main parties, and with a role in government, they would become more acceptable... While also lowering their expectations, like a lot of socialists did in Europe. Meanwhile, no red scare means the labour movement remain stronger and more radical, and probably partners up with socialists.

In the end, the socialists never bring in socialism, but leave an impact in the form of thorough reforms so popular they can only be chipped away at slowly and starved rather than destroyed rapidly like the Reagan backlash did to most of the New Deal.