A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll from February found that 64% of registered voters believe the Democrat Party supports socialism. That statistic is not surprising given the hard-leftist course Barack Obama set for the party. That leftist course has only become more extreme as Democrats seek to further the resistance against the bombastic and yet unapologetically pro-American President Donald Trump.

The Democrat victory in 2018, winning control of the House, seemed to verify their belief that Americans favored their extreme leftist agenda. This victory included a new freshman class of radical leftist ideologues, chomping at the bit to enact “real” social change. But the politically savvy veteran House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly asserted her authority over these young firebrands, trying to whip them into line to keep a united front aimed at obstructing Trump. However, these young leftist zealots have refused to back off their “revolution.” And that’s a problem for Democrats, as socialism is still not favored by the majority of Americans.

As a result, a civil war is brewing within the Democrat Party. It’s a war Pelosi is more and more forcefully attempting to quell. Specifically, Pelosi has recognized that these young leftists are alienating moderate voters, which Democrats cannot lose if they have any hope of winning in 2020. Hence, Pelosi’s recent comments when she was asked about the “exuberance” of Democrats advocating socialism: “What we’re saying is, have a message that appeals to people in a way that does not menace them — that really does address their concerns. When we win and we have the White House and we have that, then we can expand our exuberances to some other things.”

When asked about the more exuberant, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pelosi responded that they won in “districts that are solidly Democratic.” To drive home the point, she picked up a glass of water and stated, “This glass of water would win with a ‘D’ next to its name in those districts. … Not to diminish the personality and the exuberance of the rest of Alexandria and the members…”

A day earlier, when asked in a “60 Minutes” interview about “AOC and her group on one side,” Pelosi attempted to downplay the radical leftist presence and influence within the party, asserting, “That’s like five people.” In reality, the leftist House Progressive Caucus includes more than 90 Democrat representatives — some 41% of the House Democrat membership.

Insisting that she rejects socialism, Pelosi declared, “That is not the view of the Democrat Party.” But as the previously mentioned poll found, Democrat voters are evenly divided — 51% to 49% — when asked about their preference for capitalism or socialism. And the party’s 2020 presidential contenders back Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, punitive wealth taxes, and the like, all after the socialist scams of ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank. In other words, Pelosi’s fight is not merely against “five people” but half her party, and proud socialists like AOC aren’t about to play nice about that fact, either.