the political spectrum is wider than the usa, and people are more politically involved (both of which you would expect, i think, given the country's history). some of the most decent people i know here are still active communists; many of my friends were in the party during the dictatorship because that was the main coordinating movement in the resistance.

there's an active debate about how society should work. i suspect some americans will see "communists" and think they are going to have their work stolen from them. that's not the case. in practice the debate is more about where to position the country between what you might call "european" and "american" ideals. sure, some people i know advocate permanent revolution. but on the other side some people advocate eugenics of the poor (seriously - speaking from experience). there really is a wider range (and i think that's a good thing).