Most Americans probably don't actually understand what "Communist" means.
Take this comment from the the article OP linked
"Liberals always end up mass murdering their fellow citizens. ALWAYS. Stalin. Mao. Pol Pot. And why? Because Liberals only want to live and let live if they can force others to live their way. Coercion and bullying is they only thing they know or understand."
Really? Stalin is apparently a liberal now. This severely damages my faith in the intelligence of other people.