I'm actually a fan of Corey Robin and was a BernieBro back when that was A Thing. I'm not a socialist -- I'm a pretty reluctant capitalist, and I agree we're getting less free. But I didn't see anything in his big NYT piece that made me more favorably disposed to actual socialism
The only thing I took away from the piece is the main appeal of socialism is the fact that most efforts to "fix capitalism" are a scam by capitalists to further concentrate power in fewer hands, and everybody knows it now so why not try literally anything else.
This seems to be more or less true, but "socialism" isn't the only thing you can sell with the formula, "the current thing isn't working, so lets end it not mend it, and try something radically different." You can also sell dictatorship with that formula.
I have a problem with concentrations of power, regardless of if they're in the private sector or public sector. Under either socialism or monopoly capitalism, you're subject to the whims of bureaucrats and institutions that have no incentive to respond to you. Not interested.
We're at the point right now in the US where if we wanted to try actual state-owned industry, the state could just buy 5 companies and own over half stock market. That number will get even smaller, & those corps are already in tight with the state. So what's the difference?
Anyway, this guy said all this stuff way better:
Citation for the tweet about buying 5 companies and owning the market:
In 10 years that chart is going to be even more ridiculous, and those companies will be even more deeply entwined with the public sector -- warfighting, natsec, logistics, healthcare, etc. -- than they are now. And you can buy shares of them, and own the means of production!
When your freedom from "rule by boss" because you've got a guaranteed state job w/ no market pressure (labor mkt or consumer mkt) interferes with my freedom to get my mail, or get a construction permit, or (God forbid) get healthcare, we have a problem. 
Related: bradford-delong.com/2018/08/steeri…
Also related: nytimes.com/2018/08/26/opi…
Oh, and the original article: nytimes.com/2018/08/24/opi…
