What the big dollar capitalists don't want the average Joe to realize is that we're already in a massively socialist system, but only socialized towards the huge moneyed interests. The incredibly wealthy corporations get enormous benefits from the fruits of the middle and lower classes' taxation and labour, and receive massive tax breaks and deductions based on their profit.
On top of that, huge corporations benefit from government programs like food stamps for their employees that get paid meager sub-poverty wages while CEOs and top brass get enormous bonuses and stock benefits. It's a Capitalist Socialism that only benefits the corporations and the top brass of those corporations.
As entities, they only concern of the corporations is money for shareholders, money for board of directors, profit, growth, and more growth. The system is 100% non-sustainable and will (not might, WILL) collapse under its own weight. Any system that relies on constant and unfettered growth in order to be successful is a cancer.
Big money controls the message because they control the airwaves. Bernie is being painted with a bright red paintbrush, he's the new red scare. It's frustrating, I always feel so massively unable to effect any change in the face of huge impersonal monolithic corporations pushing everything down while they rise.