A question for conservatives...?

Question

Here is the Wikipedia definition of Libralism:

An ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.[1] Broadly speaking, liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of minorities are guaranteed. In modern society, liberals favour a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed[2].

The US was founded on these principals, how does anyone in their right mind disagree with them? If you are a true American Patriot wouldn't you consider yourself to have liberal core values? Therefore, generally considering yourself liberal? Do you even know? Let's see how many of you even answer...

Answer 1

Sorry I'm a liberal but I just had to come take a peek...

GOOD JOB!!! WELL DONE!!!!

As I read that definition, I thought to myself, 'OMG THAT'S ME'. And I really for good about being me today. :)

Answer 2

In the classic manner of labels, they get applied, and it's difficult to get rid of them. I believe in the 18th century concept of liberalism: basically, all the freedom you can stand, as long as you responsibly exercise it. This also includes the rights to private property, and as little interference from government as possible. I also believe that the Constitution is a revocable compact between otherwise sovereign states, and the primacy of state authority EXCEPT where the power is specifically granted to the federal government. Since FDR and the New Deal, the Federal government has taken, with a cowed Supreme Court's blessing, more and more of the authority. A conservative, under those conditions, wants to retain as much freedom (and decentralization) as possible. Interestingly, in the former Soviet Bloc, those who believed in the Soviet system were the conservatives. In a nutshell, those who want more governmental control are modern"liberals," having lost the original sense of the term. There may appear to be a contradiction here when you throw in topics like abortion, the Schiavo case, etc. I question whether there is one. The Declaration of Independence speaks of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that governments are instituted among men to preserve these. This is the first and really ONLY duty of government. All governmental powers derive from this basis

Answer 3

I agree, the US was founded on those ideals, but many people, myself included, do not find that the democratic party is following those ideals. Dems today do not have a platform, an agenda, or an original idea besides "This is what Republicans are doing wrong!!". If Dems could come out with a workable plan on how to make the country better, with a clear agenda on how to make it work, I think you would see a much stronger following. Critisizing may make good news, action will bring the votes, which Dems have been lacking for 6 years.

Answer 4

What they espouse to be and their actions are two different things, The liberals of today are not the liberals of the past like our founding fathers. just look at the ACLU they will support every deviant life style you can imagine, the 9th circuit court of California are so liberal they have had just about everything they have ruled on over turned by the supreme court, now it's a whole different kind of extreme liberalism. The liberals of today would really like a Godless society, and the power to control you and your money.

Answer 5

They have greatly strayed from that example. Just look at the lists of their special interest groups.
That's just definition number 1. Where's the rest of it? Here's the conservative definition:

The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) http://www.gop.com/About/Default.aspx?Section=2, is one of the two major political parties in the United States. The current President of the United States, George W. Bush, is a member of the party – and its de facto leader – and it currently has majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as in governorships. In the modern political era, the GOP is the more conservative of the two major parties.

Organized in Ripon, Wisconsin on February 28, 1854, as a party opposed to the expansion of slavery into new territories, it is not to be confused with the Democratic-Republican party of Thomas Jefferson or the National Republican Party of Henry Clay. The ideology of the reborn Republican party, however, did follow that of the early Democratic-Republicans. During Jefferson's presidency, he was called a "Republican", but the reference was to the party now known as the Democratic-Republican Party. That party later split into the Democratic Party and the Whig Party. The latter was formed in the winter of 1833-1834 but was defunct by the time of the American Civil War.

The first convention of the U.S. Republican Party was held on July 6, 1854, in Jackson, Michigan. Many of its initial policies were inspired by the Whig Party, which by then was in decline. Many of the early members of the Republican Party came from the Whigs, the Free Soil Party, and American Party. Since its inception, its chief opposition has been the Democratic Party.

Hmmm opposed slavery? I often hear in this forum that conservatives hate.

Answer 6

The answer is that the word "liberal", like "conservative", mean very little anymore other than monikers for Democrats and Republicans (and/or thier sympathizers), respectively, though I'm sure most of us know this already. For example, would it be considered "conservative" to pre-emptively invade a soverign nation because they (might) have destructive weapons? I think not. No one really thinks about what these terms really mean because no one really cares what they mean. They are simply a way to conveniently categorize people into camps of ideological agreement, even though most of us claim to be "independent" thinkers. Politicians and thier handlers LOVE and use these terms to define "me and you(voter)" against "them" because they are a great and effective way to get elected, thus the average person hears thier favorite politician use them on TV and then uses them in accordance without actually thinking about them. Ultimately and unfortunately, the answer to you questions come down to ignorance.

Answer 7

I don't think most liberals are aware of this then. They seem to want to expand the government. They also just seem to always want to change everything even if it doesn't need changing. I have always associated liberal ideas with change and taking chances, and conservatives with being more cautious and afraid of change. I lean toward being save and cautious myself but I realize that sometimes change is necessary and a few changes that liberals have imposed have been good, like getting rid of segregation. Unfortunately I think they go too far alot of the time or don't think things through thoroughly before stating their views.

Answer 8

Text book values ...Lovely lol How about real life here sport? democrats of 40 years ago are not the same as today. I am not interested in what the left forces down my throat today. Your party would die if they could see what the far left has done to the party today. look at why more and more people vote Republican. We work therefore we vote Right! Pretty simple concept

Answer 9

You may be surprised to hear that "conservatives" DO agree with "traditional" liberal principles as you have stated them. Today's "liberals" or "left-wingers" believe in a much broader role for government, for example, and therefore they are the ones that are not liberals in the sense you describe!

Answer 10

Break it down. Republicans believe in returning power to the individual states. Democrats believe in big government. I refuse to be defined by Wikipedia.

Answer 11

I totally agree with you. Sorry no answer here because that would be my point as well.
Just expressing my thought here, and that conservatives suck.
They believe in the old values and cra.p, by being racists and giving hard time to minorities etc.