Time to paint the happy trees of democracy

Yes, you can actually vote for socialism. It's called "democratic socialism" and doesn't involve tyranny or dictators or even oppression. Just social improvements for the masses through democratically agreed upon reforms. Like Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

Oh I'm not saying it ain't possible, or that it didn't happen. But we're talking cold war era bullshit.

Again, during the cold war plenty of nations voted for democratic socialism in Scandinavia and South America. This was seen as part of Soviet expansion by the US and Operation Condor was a United States-backed campaign of political repression and state terror involving intelligence operations and assassination of opponents. It was officially and formally implemented in November 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America.