A fight over labels — "socialism" vs. "Bolshevism" — is turning into real government action against left-wing groups, and that's bad for civil liberties on all sides.

• Jon Stewart and Wisconsin Democratic chair Ben Wikler argue "socialism" is the wrong word for what young Democrats actually want: a stronger safety net and more value placed on work than on money.
• Republicans are pushing the opposite frame — Steve Scalise called it a "Bolshevik takeover" and said communism is on the ballot in November.
• The State Department put out a report on Cuban subversion that names the DSA and specific left-wing figures, and openly points to McCarthy-era blacklists and prosecutions as a model.
• Officials are also talking about stopping "far-left terror plots before they happen" — pre-crime — even though almost everything described in the report is legal speech.
• The same abuses cut both ways: newly released documents show Jack Smith's team surveilled Republican members of Congress and conservative groups like Turning Point USA, with little coverage.

Outlook: Expect the socialism-vs-communism fight to define the November campaign, with more blacklist-style targeting of activists and more backlash-driven populism.