Because socialism is antithetical to individual liberty...other wise known as the American system and the Bill of Rights. Either the needs of the individual reigns over the needs of the state or the needs of the state reign over the need of the individual. You can’t have it both ways.
I don’t know that it scares ignorant people all that much, but the author shows his own ignorance. It scares the hell out of the People who love Freedom because those that espouse it don’t see “democratic socialism” as a necessary evil which must be contained so it doesn’t spread - they see it as an avenue to true tyrannical despotism.
Isn’t “democratic socialism” an oxymoron? I’m no up on all the nuances of government-related words, but these two don’t seem to fit together well.