I am not sure if it is brainwashing, or whether the rightwing in general is willfully dishonest.
Regarding "socialism" they are all over the map, and sometimes change their position within microseconds.
On the one hand, they will spend decades calling western Europe "socialist", and by extension calling Obama, Clinton, et al "socialists".
Then when you ask them to explain why this supposedly horrific socialism succeeded so well in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, et al, they will start hollering that these countries are not socialist, and you are not allowed to call them "socialist".
In my opinion, it takes an uncommon commitment to dishonesty to be able to engage in mental gymnastics and back flips like that.