The only thing that pertains to 1940 is that the US still shits itself at the concept of Communism and sees it in every shadow.
You know 'Breaking Bad'? The UK version of it sucked, because when he got cancer he got free treatment and the series ended (there was no series in the UK, it would've lasted 10 minutes). The idea of a mythical land where people who are ill cannot afford medical treatment and are condemned to die under their current means makes such good tv! Kinda like how a slow-motion train-wreck is great tv.
We have a Socialist doing very well in our current Presidential election as we speak. The Democratic party in general is starting to get more progressive/left-wing, with people like Elizabeth Warren rising in prominence. Also, we actually have undertaken a comprehensive reform of our medical system over the past 6 years that makes certain every American has health insurance (Obamacare.) Everybody has a healthcare plan in America now or else they are breaking the law, and poor people.. like me.. get it subsidized from the government completely in our Federal health insurance program called Medicaid, and people over the age of 65 get it from Medicare. Unlike some shitty health systems like the NHS in England that force you to go to shitty doctors with long waits, even most private healthcare providers accept this insurance instead of having separate practitioners. Our national healthcare system is by design socialist, and will probably keep expanding until we end up with a single-payer option, a policy known as "Medicaid for all" and have true universal healthcare that isn't much different than UK's current system.
Communism, on the other hand, is the opposite of Democracy, and leads to rampant human rights abuses, no free press or elections, and if coupled with a lack of international relationships with EVIL CAPITALISTS, tends to foster hostility and war. We do not have to imagine the concept of Communism when it is still in practice at North Korea, where USA has remained ready to go to war to defend South Korea from North Korean and Chinese aggression.. since we already had to once before. South Korea and Japan are prosperous free markets because of their relationship with USA and free societies, NK in comparison is a perfect example of why America owns and Communism sucks.
However we literally have just reestablished diplomacy with Cuba who is still Communist, which is about time, since there are many Cuban-Americans here. Funny that Cuban-Americans are the ones who are the most anti-Communist though, since they become refugees for a reason.
America is probably more left-wing than a lot of EU countries nowadays lol, with all your anti-Islam, anti-immigrant leaders, perpetual austerity measures and stagnant growth. I won't be surprised if half the EU countries can't even afford their healthcare systems anymore in 20 years.. enjoy it while it lasts suckers