They've been radicalized by the both the actions as well as the inactions of their Republican opposites.
I recall that shortly after Operation Shock and Awe took place, I was in a meeting with a staunch Southern Baptist Republican earning millions of dollars.
The news was centered around two items: First, the inability of a growing number of Americans to afford health care, and how any major medical need, such as cancer or some other catastrophic illness, would bankrupt each affected family who were not extremely wealthy, and secondly, the soaring amounts in the billions and billions of dollars Bush was charging to the American Treasury to finance two wars with no end in sight, all the while completely ignoring any and all domestic policies which might serve to solve a growing "perfect storm" of social and economic problems settling across the domestic U.S. populace.
Realizing that Bush's schemes to print money endlessly, to finance endless war with no goals, and with no possible victories, would completely bankrupt America and reduce the citizenry to a standard of living akin to Kinshasha, Zaire, I carelessly remarked to my Republican Conservative Baptist acquaintance that "This is going to result in American being forced to demand socialism, because all but the elite few will be homeless, unable to afford any basic amenity, bereft of health care, higher education, and housing; all while those with wealth continue to close down all production and send our jobs overseas!"
My acquaintance literally laughed in my face; as if he'd never heard such a ridiculous idea in his entire life...that I or anyone else couldn't see the sheer genius of George W. Bush, political master genius, Commander in Chief of abilities far exceeding those of General Patton, and economic genius, was beyond his mental capacities to accept, and at that point our meeting was for all practical intent finished; as he had "written me off".
This is how one great country after another succumbs to authoritarian socialism...inept leadership obsessed with their own selfishness who are more than happy to see the whole world destroyed if they can obtain ever greater wealth than they already have.
With Republicans like Bush & McCain, you don't fear Socialism, because the GOP is nothing if not Socialist.
With Democrats like Pelosi and Clinton and Obama, you don't fear a Communist takeover, because they already are Communists.