RE: How did we get to the point that you could openly declare yourself a communist in America?
Let me ask you this — Has the Communist Party ever been banned in the USA?
Yes. Since 1954. From Wiki (I know): The Communist Control Act of 1954 (68 Stat. 775, 50 U.S.C. §§ 841–844) is an American law signed by President Dwight Eisenhower on August 24, 1954, that outlaws the Communist Party of the United States and criminalizes membership in or support for the party or "Communist-action" organizations and defines evidence to be considered by a jury in determining participation in the activities, planning, actions, objectives, or purposes of such organizations.[1]