In an era of extreme political polarization, Democrats are often called “socialists” as a matter of course.

Some may not even know what the label truly means, but that’s a story for another day.

Tom Malinowski, the incumbent Democrat in CD-7, was asked about this at a tele-town hall Wednesday afternoon. His very friendly caller said that if Republicans call Democrats, “socialists,” the Dems should respond in kind by calling Republicans “fascists.”

Malinowski, who invariably is called a socialist by his GOP opponents, began by saying that unlike many others in the United States, he knows what socialism is. As most know, the congressman was born in Poland, which at the time was a socialist “satellite” of the Soviet Union.

And he said nothing in the U.S. is anything close to that system.

Still, Malinowski didn’t take the bait. The congressman said he doesn’t like name calling and said, “Let’s just call them Americans.”