The Republicans are fond of calling any Obama administration policy that they don't like "socialist." Apparently focus groups show that it can be effective rhetoric with at least some segment of public, but it's not a terribly serious way to discuss policy. Therefore it was surprising to see the NYT refer to some of the policies of the Argentine government as "socialist." Unless the government itself describes the policies this way, the NYT would be providing more information to readers if simply described the content of the policies without an adjective that will likely be viewed by many as pejorative.
--Dean Baker