"Socialism" isn't just "the government spending money".

In order to be socialism, it has to be spending money specifically to help the people, and broadly to reduce inequality.

Republicans do not do that, by any stretch of the imagination.

"Socialism is when the government gives tax breaks to the rich and destroys public institutions". And calling China "socialist" is rich when it's probably the most ruthlessly capitalistic nation on the planet, where worker unions are straight up illegal.

The West saw its golden age when redistributive taxation was maximum. We have to get back to that, or the country will continue to agonize under crumbling infrastructure and failing institutions.