Liberal vs. Conservative

[Charlotte_native]

I was going to post the definition of Liberal from Dictionary.com, but there are so many that I thought a link to the page itself was better -- you can see the plethora of definitions (go to the very bottom and read the origins of the word and old definitions as well).

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/liberal

Somehow our society now sees Liberals as bad people. Was it all from the Vietnam war or did the negative start before that? No matter what someone that opposes the GOP, or opposes those that follow them, does or says they are labeled a Liberal and their views are labeled Liberal. As I read the definition I don't know why anyone would feel bad being one. From the definition, and looking back on history, it is obvious most of our revered leaders (both politically and spiritually) were Liberals. They advocated progress, reform, free will for man. Jesus, Ghandi, Martin Luther, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln were all quite liberal in their time. At one point it was Liberal to want women to be able to vote or blacks to have the same rights as whites in America.

Why do we now think anyone that advocates change or reform is somehow misguided? Why is it someone opposed to Iraq would be Liberal? Why is it someone that would want to help their fellow man (doesn't the Bible say to do so??) is a Liberal? I really don't get it. How did the notion of Cultural Elites (whatever the hell that really means) become lumped with Democrats and Liberals?

Funny how a rich Republican is a good businessman who wants to guide this country in one way, but a rich Democrate is an Elitist who is trying to control the masses from his Ivory Tower.

So many in our country seem to feel proud to thump the Bible, yet ignore what it says in its entirity. So many want to follow a political party regardless of whether what they are doing is really Liberal or Conservative based solely on what that party claims should be considered Conservative.

How have so many been duped into thinking that being Liberal means something it doesn't or that these labels can really be used to lump people into little boxes?

[monsoon]

Liberal became a dirty word around the time Reaganism took hold in the 1980s.

[JDC]

I saw an interesting bumper sticker last week. It said, "What exactly are conservatives conserving?"

I'd rather "liberal" gain a bad reputation for what it really is than identify myself something by I'm not. But really, I prefer "progressive."

[Charlotte_native]

I saw an interesting bumper sticker last week. It said, "What exactly are conservatives conserving?"

I'd rather "liberal" gain a bad reputation for what it really is than identify myself something by I'm not. But really, I prefer "progressive."

[Gusterfell]

How have so many been duped into thinking that being Liberal means something it doesn't or that these labels can really be used to lump people into little boxes?

[voyager12]

The right has done an exemplary job making "liberal" a curse word. Their maligning of the term is so complete that most liberals myself excluded refuse to call themselves liberal I use liberal and progressive to define myself and am proud of it

[Miesian Corners]

I have no issue being called "liberal". I view being branded a "conservative" as much more damning (see signature below).

[Lowerdeck]

I'm actually gonna break out some Family Guy quotes to make a point. Who knew this could happen?

Peter Griffin: [riding a circus elephant] Hey, Lois, look. The two symbols of the Republican party: an elephant and a big fat white guy who's threatened by change.

I think that's the biggest issue there. Conservatives simply saw what it was like in a previous time period (1950s, 1980s) and think it's a great time period to just recreate. Or try and hold onto and prevent time from doing it's job. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that in reality.

[cityboi]

I like that better even though it gramatically incorrect. "Im a progressive"

[nashscan]

Liberal - n. - a person so open minded their brains have fallen out.

[Lowerdeck]

Liberal - n. - a person so open minded their brains have fallen out.

[Alabadrock]

Liberal - n. - a person so open minded their brains have fallen out.

[dxartist]

liberal is not a bad word (neither is conservative). It is only bad if used in a perversed way. Personally, I have both liberal and conservative views.

[michaelskis]

liberal is not a bad word (neither is conservative). It is only bad if used in a perversed way. Personally, I have both liberal and conservative views.

[MadVlad]

I agree.

I think that some people see Liberal as a bad word because of many of the crazy things that people have done in the name of liberal politics. I think that it might be a stretch, but think about the Boston Tea Party... they wanted Liberty from too many Taxes and control. I irony of it is now the Democratic party which is associated with liberalism and liberal thinking is the party that is most likely to raise taxes, increase the size of government and have more governmental regulation on free market capitalism.

[Spartan]

Being progressive is not solely a "liberal" trait, so it doesn't make sense to apply the term in that sense. But IMO being a liberal is far less of a dirty word these days than being a "neoconservative." And I say that as a former South Carolinian and current registered Republican in North Carolina.

The "republicans" have not increased our debt and made a mess of things so much as it is the neocon's who are now in charge of the Republican Party. If you are not in tune with politics on a regular basis you can't distinguish between the two because they all have an "R" beside their name. So naturally the Republican Party gets bashed even more than it normally does by the left. True conservatives and Republicans by their nature will have a platform that can be identified with, and that many of you may even agree with. Being fiscally conservative is one of the best traits a politician can have, but none who have any common sense are in charge right now (on either side, apparently).

[Gusterfell]

That's a fable at this point. We have seen increases in government size and spending of which the country has never seen over the last 7 years, and the Democrats have not been in control.

[monsoon]

......

The "republicans" have not increased our debt and made a mess of things so much as it is the neocon's who are now in charge of the Republican Party. If you are not in tune with politics on a regular basis you can't distinguish between the two because they all have an "R" beside their name. So naturally the Republican Party gets bashed even more than it normally does by the left. True conservatives and Republicans by their nature will have a platform that can be identified with, and that many of you may even agree with. Being fiscally conservative is one of the best traits a politician can have, but none who have any common sense are in charge right now (on either side, apparently).

[monsoon]

......

The "republicans" have not increased our debt and made a mess of things so much as it is the neocon's who are now in charge of the Republican Party. If you are not in tune with politics on a regular basis you can't distinguish between the two because they all have an "R" beside their name. So naturally the Republican Party gets bashed even more than it normally does by the left. True conservatives and Republicans by their nature will have a platform that can be identified with, and that many of you may even agree with. Being fiscally conservative is one of the best traits a politician can have, but none who have any common sense are in charge right now (on either side, apparently).

[Rural King]

The term "liberal" was turned into a term of negative connotation by a successful marketing strategy by the Republican Party and its base of conservative interest groups that took several decades to take firm root in the American public's mind starting about 1976 with the rise of Ronald Reagan as a force within the Republican Party. Although he did not win the nomination in 1976 Reagan message and image as a "conservative" was seen as the future of the party with moderate elements from the more "liberal" Rockerfeller wing being purged from party leadership in the following years. This trend had really started under Goldwater in 1964, but really did not mature till Reagan's run in 1976 and peaked with Reagan's victory in 1980. The Republicans under Reagan really crafted, via the use of crafty political marketers, a unified message of what "conservative" and "liberal" values were in a very successful way to the American public that still defines viewpoints till this day.

Its all about message and image control and the Democratic Party has really lacked it since about 1968. Thus they find themselves being defined by their opposition. It took the Republican Party running itself into the ground since 2002 to change the image of "conservative" from a positive to an increasingly negative label.

I would say look for "conservative" to join the term "liberal" in negative terminology file to the vast majority of the electorate in the near term. Now with the Republican base the term still enjoys popularity, but I doubt it will touted much during in the 2008 general election or general elections that follow outside of very specific geographic regions.