There are two things one can be sure of when politicians denigrate government programs as âsocialist.â One is that they donât know anything about socialism. The other is that they donât know anything about the programs theyâre trying to smear. So here comes Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the third-ranking member of the House Republican leadership, with an especially absurd example of the genre. Marking the birthdays of Medicare and Medicaid, which were enacted July 30, 1965, she took to Twitter to celebrate âthe critical role these programs have played to protect the healthcare of millions of families.â Then she pivoted to add, âTo safeguard our future, we must reject socialist healthcare schemes.â