Words matter.

Capitalism and free enterprise are basically the same thing, but voters respond differently depending on which word is used.

When they hear “capitalism,” some think of Jeffrey Epstein and Daddy Warbucks making money off the backs of workers in sweatshops.

When they hear “free enterprise,” they hear freedom, entrepreneurship, choice, and prosperity.

We’ve been making this point for ages, but this truism came shining through again in the latest Harris Poll. When voters are asked whether they support capitalism or socialism, capitalism wins – but not by much.

But when asked to choose between socialism and free enterprise, the responses swing way in the freedom direction.

The obvious takeaway is that to advance prosperity, “free enterprise” works politically; capitalism not so much.