Why does this country have socialists?

Answer 1

It depends entirey on which country "this country" is.

However, most countries have socialists because socialism defends the rights of the workers and the underprivileged against larger corporations and more conservative ideologues. In this way, it gives a voice and a power to those who otherwise would have no mechanism to fight for their rights. Socialists have largely been responsible for the establishment of labor standards, the creation and designation of national treasures, improving healthcare and access to medicine, and shifting the tax burden from a regressive tax on individuals to a progressive tax that targets corporations.

In the United States, however, it should be noted that conservatives tend to use the term "socialist" to tar opinions with which they disagree regardless of whether they actually are based on fundamental socialist policies to begin with. That is not to say that the US has no socialists, Bernie Sanders of Vermont is typically considered one, but Barack Obama, for example, is not a socialist, but a center-line Democrat.