Expert: Dennis Date: 11/16/2004 Subject: liberal vs. conservative
Question Hi DennisK,
I'm really confused, especially from all the presidential election rhetoric, over the terms "conservative" and "liberal". These seem to me to be over-used labels. Republicans always seem to bash democrats by saying "He's the most liberal person in Congress," or "He's too liberal to hold this office." You never hear the reverse.
I guess what my question comes down to is - what IS a conservative and what IS a liberal, and why is "liberal" portrayed as such a bad thing? They say for example, that Massachusetts is a very "liberal state." What does that mean, and why states like MA and MN?
I consider myself, from dictionary definitions, to be a conservative, as I'm in favor of old-fashioned values, and I think that new ideas, whether political, social, or cultural, are ok, but need to be put under a close microscope and can't just be implemented without thinking of their consequences. I also oppose abortion, favor the death penalty, favor small goverment, low taxes (and the low spending to match). However, although I believe religion is ok, I'm an adimate believer in seperation of church and state, I support gay marraige, and belive that the government should intervene as little as possible in peoples' personal lives.
On the other hand, from the dictionary, I read that liberal means open to others' beliefs, and favoring progress. How can that be a BAD thing?? Isn't "liberal" an over-used smear term in Republian politics? To me, neither liberal or conservative is a bad thing, it's just a different point of view. SO, why the fuss??
Answer You ask a number of questions. First, the definition in the dictionary is not to be confused with the current definition in the U.S. of what is a "Conservative" or "Liberal." What was a conservative or liberal in 1950 or 60, is nothing like it is today.
TODAY, a Liberal is generally considered to be someone who believes in government intervention in cases when freedom issues are in conflict with order issues. Liberals choose "freedom" over "order." The freedom of an individual to choose an abortion over the "order" of a society to have more taxpaying, law-abiding citizens in its midst. Liberals also generally choose "equality" over "freedom."
Equality of outcome is more important than my freedom to choose who I want to hire or allow in my university.
In most cases, conservatives will choose "order" over "freedom." and "freedom" over "equality," but not in all circumstances. My "freedom" to own a gun outweighs society's "order" for crime control.
In the U.S., the view of the role of government, the military, and foreign policy diverge when it comes to conservatives and liberals. One thinks one way, one thinks another way.
Few people are "true" anythings. Although it is hard to be a "fiscal conservative," and a "social moderate (or liberal)," since the implementation of new social programs necessitates more spending.
You are a good example of the combination of viewpoints. You are conservative in some issues, and moderate or liberal in others. What you choose as your main priority may well define your political philosophy. If you believe that the MOST important issue is abortion, then you self-identify as a conservative. If you believe that the MOST important issue in the U.S., is a separation of church and state, then you self-identify as a liberal.
Your question of why do some regions of the country tend to vote a certain way (MA & MN) has been researched in depth. It has been found that because of a region's history (civil war, industrialization, etc.), geographic setting (plains, mountains, river towns, etc.), and religious institutions, an area of the country will have a certain view toward government and politics. The South (and states with a similar history) have long believed in the status quo (whatever that may be), and a view toward politics in a traditional way that says it is for certain people only (that is why the elite families are allowed by the voters to pass down elected seats from father, to son, to grandson (or daughter).
In the West, there is a view of individualism, and a "stay out of my business" mentality. Politicians who are "populists" and view government as an intrusion, are re-elected regularly. In the Northeast (and in states that mirror the NE - like MN), where old, mainline religions took hold (Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian) government is looked on as something good that will help the downtrodden and disadvantaged. To these people, more government is good, because that means there will be more programs to help people. Therefore, these places vote to elect these kinds of politicians, and are called Liberal states.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and with the ease of mobility in the U.S., there have been some changes in the larger metropolitan locations. States like Florida, Arizona, and California are receiving such an influx of citizens, that they no longer resemble the traditional category of their geographic location.
However, this is why there are Red states and Blue states. Each area of the country looks at the role of government in a particular way.
As for your last question, we conservatives take all the credit for making "Liberal" such a dirty word that even the Liberals won't use it. They now prefer to call themselves "progressives."
We defined Liberals as those people who want to grow government at YOUR expense. You will pay for their programs. Liberals think with their emotions, but not their heads. They promise everything to everybody, but make sure that YOU end up paying for it. Liberals gave us Medicare that now costs Billions of dollars in waste. Liberals gave us welfare, which also cost Billions, and made an entire race of people dependent on the government dole. It goes on and on. Liberals weant to appease dictators, hate the U.S. military, and run Hollywood, which denigrates and makes fun of the morals of most Americans every time they make a movie.
"Limousine Liberal" is the one I like the best. That phrase just encapsulates someone who is wealthy, out of touch with the working man, yet wants good old "Joe six-pack" to pay for everything that the Lib thinks of doing - and oh, yes, the Liberal looks down his/her nose at middle-America because they believe they are so much superior than those in "fly-over" country. Truly one of our best works - "The Liberal." Hope this answers some of your questions.
