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Sorry if this (or I) posted this ? already. Would you Progressives please give us a definition. And...while you are at it, why did you throw the lable Liberal under the bus.
The reason I ask, is that I heard an absolutely silly show on the local Air America network...uh, now they are not AA anymore but Nova? Same problem? But I digress.
The final answer from both of the interviewees was something akin to...stammer, stammer, uh, uh, well just ask the conservatives for the definition of being NOT PROGRESSIVE.
Mind blowing logic.
And no, I'm not kidding. They tap danced like mad. But could not give the definition of a Progressive.
"Liberal"'s a uniquely American (and non-descriptive) word for the center-left of our political spectrum. In most countries "liberal" implies civil libertarianism, which most American "liberals" want, but also economic libertarianism, which is regarded as more "right wing," maybe...
Maybe people with "liberal" beliefs don't feel as strong as a desire to label themselves as "conservatives" do? I don't know. "Liberal" to me sounds wishy-washy and spineless. Rush Limbaugh and all of his ilk threw the label under the bus by associating it with every evil known to mankind. I prefer "leftist" or "left libertarian," maybe... it sounds cooler and more radical.
Location: In an illegal immigrant free part of the country.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Manigault
I agree. I think conservatives were very successful in making the term "liberal" into a negative epithet.
The liberals didn't need any help from the conservatives to make the term "liberal" into a negative epithet. They were quite able to do that themselves, oops, I forgot "take no personal responsibiltiy"!
I agree. I think conservatives were very successful in making the term "liberal" into a negative epithet.
yeah, kind of like the left has done with "Evangelical Christians". I've noticed many congregations have started shedding that name because of the constant stereotyping by the left.
"Liberal"'s a uniquely American (and non-descriptive) word for the center-left of our political spectrum. In most countries "liberal" implies civil libertarianism, which most American "liberals" want, but also economic libertarianism, which is regarded as more "right wing," maybe...
Maybe people with "liberal" beliefs don't feel as strong as a desire to label themselves as "conservatives" do? I don't know. "Liberal" to me sounds wishy-washy and spineless. Rush Limbaugh and all of his ilk threw the label under the bus by associating it with every evil known to mankind. I prefer "leftist" or "left libertarian," maybe... it sounds cooler and more radical.
Liberal is uniquely American? It is a word. Your post is the same silly stuff I heard on the radio show I spoke of.
I agree. I think conservatives were very successful in making the term "liberal" into a negative epithet.
As a conservative myself, that is not something of which I am proud. I certainly never participated in the demonization of liberals as people.
That demonization is yet another example of how the radical fringe of a political philosophy hijacked the movement and made it exclusionary instead of inclusionary. It is also why the conservatives now find themselves outnumbered and beleaguered, through the alienation of the moderate majority.
Besides, this country needs liberals in the worst way. Where else would we get all the silly ideas which we conservatives mull over and eventually adopt?
"In the United States, the primary use of the term liberal is at some variance with European and British usage. In the 19th century it was not a common term in American philosophy or politics, partially because the two main parties were a mixture of populist and nationalist elements. The Democratic Party was the party of free trade, low tariffs and laissez-faire entrepreneurialism, while the Republican Party advocated national citizenship, transparency and government efforts to stabilize the currency. Liberalism in the United States was primarily defined by the self-proclaimed liberal presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. While the emphasis on mutual collaboration through liberal institutions as an alternative to the threat and use of force remained consistent with international liberalism, United States liberals also claimed that individuals have a right to expect the government to guarantee social justice. This was in part a consequence of the influence of the ideas of British economist John Maynard Keynes on Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. The New Deal had the effect of stealing the thunder of social democratic forces and the necessity to prevent social unrest strengthened this development. As McCarthyism gave the terms socialism and even social democracy a meaning synonymous with treason in the U.S., many to the left of center moderated their views, aligning with the New Deal liberals. Since approximately the Reagan era, the word liberal has been so much used as a derogatory term by U.S. conservatives that it led to an ever increasing number of critics of conservatism to identify with progressivism, rather than turning to liberalism. The Democratic Party is identified as the liberal party within the broader definition of liberalism thus putting it in contrast with most other parties listed here. The Libertarian Party, the third largest political party in the United States, though still only getting 1-2% of the vote in congressional elections, particularly centers itself on free markets and individual liberty. The Republican Party generally supports strong free-market and libertarian views on the economy. In general we can say that the Democrats support civil-rights (and therefore social liberalism), the Republicans support free-market (and therefore economic liberalism), while the Libertarians support both."
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