Memes

Communism is about the power of the working class, seizing the means of production, and self governance. No government has effectively put into practice communist practices because the concept of government itself is contrary to communism.

This is incorrect, and I encourage you to read more, specifically Socialism: Utopian and Scientific as well as The State and Revolution. Communism is not about "self governance" or being anti-government, that's Anarchism, and thus the source of a large schism between Anarchists and Communists. The concept of government is not anti-Communist, and AES states were true representations of Communist ideology guiding the state.

Principly, when Communists say Communism will abolish the state, they say it will wither away, and change from a tool one class uses to oppress others into an "administration of things," ie elections, government, and so forth are retained, perhaps minimized over a long period of time.

There's been a decades long movement in the US to demonise communism (and socialism) in favour of capitalism. There used to be overtly communist political groups in America.

For what it's worth, there still are, like PSL (running for President) and FRSO. The old CPUSA still exists as well, though it is Reformist to the core and thus is revisionist.