Do you HAVE to be a "conservative" or a "liberal"?

Question

I believe the majority of people are a little left of center to a little right of center. In other words, moderate. I've found that hard core conservatives & liberals have more in common with each other than they think: They're always right; You're always wrong; Closed minded; Self-righteous, & that's just for openers.
I'm sure I'll catch a lot of crap for this questions, but WTF! It's my 5 points to use! LOL

Answer 1

No. But most people who have any political interests fall somewhere along that spectrum.

However, it is not the only spectrum. In fact, some models don't even consider it a single spectrum.

First, you have the question of federal-vs-state. Conservatives originally believed in a small federal government and maximum states rights, while liberals wanted a strong centralized government. The Republican party has pretty much abandoned that conservative goal in the past decade, but it remains a significant aspect.

You also have the question of group-rights vs individual rights. This is where civil liberties versus community/national interests conflict. A conservative wants to afford protections for society, including strong national defense and homelands security. Liberals may value these things, but not at the expense of individual civil rights and liberties. That's another spectrum.

There are other spectrums, but you get the idea. Democrats are big-government, individual rights. Republicans (nowadays) are big-government, group security. Federalists are small-government, group security. Libertarians are small-government, individual rights. Just to name a few.

Of course, how fanatic you are about any of these goals is yet another wholly different scale. Moderates are those who are still willing to listen to other people, and haven't become trapped fanaticism.

Personally, I think the world needs more moderates, and less fanatics.

Answer 2

You are correct that most people do not fit one the polar extremes of the liberal-conservative spectrum. It's like a bell curve, with few, exceptionally loud extremists at either end & a huge bulk of people in the middle.

It's also the case that people can have conservative views about some things and liberal views about other things. Yet it seems when a moderate's views on a given topic are voiced and seem to favor one side over another, they get pounced upon by the opposition as an extremist with zealotous views about all issues. These attacks can make moderates not want to join the discussion, leaving the extremists with a lot of TV air time & influence over the national debates.

I'd recommend this book by E.J. Dionne dealing with the polarization of policits called "Why Americans Hate Politics." It deals with this issue directly & offers a four-point graph as an improvement on the two-point polar political paradigm.

Answer 3

Absolutely not. I think they're polemical positions anyway, and that neither is all right or all wrong on most issues. The polarization in this country is out of control, and I agree that most people find themselves somehwere in the middle, with potentially some leanings one way or the other. You've got a good point about the high-handed and hypocritical attitude about pundits on both sides of the fence. It's really a shame that there's not a good, centrist alternative. We need a third party, or a major change in one of the two parties out there. You might want to check out the "Bull Moose Republicans", who aren't really a party so much as a grassroots effort to bring the Republican party towards the center and in alignment with Teddy Roosevelt's basic philosophies.

Another major problem with American politics today is that most elections are about who to vote against, and not so much who one ought to vote for. What makes things even worse is that people on both sides are constantly looking for ways to take the power to make decisions away from the states and the public and control things themselves.

Libertarians might be a good bunch of folks, if they could find some sensible spokespeople and adjust some of their positions on foreign affairs.

Answer 4

No, i'm more of a moderate leaning towards the right. There are also people that don't care at all, and people that wish there were no government. There are also libertarians, who want a government but don't really want them to do things. I would say anyone who is a hard core liberal or conservative is probably not very intelligent and is very closed minded.

Answer 5

Nope, There are always the extremist, who go beyond what is considered "liberal" or "conservative", then there are moderates, which is what most of the country is. That just covers the current 2 major parties. There are lots of small political parties in the US that don't subscribe to any of it, but due to the stranglehold the Democrats and Republicans have on government, will never have the chance to participate.

Answer 6

No, it is actually better to be a thoughtful considering individual who makes decisions based on the facts of an individual issue, rather than on the agenda of the right or the left.

I'm what may generally considered liberal, since I am a staunch supporter of the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution. However I also believe strong in personal responsibility and the rule of law. I end up voting less for the polarizing candidates and more often for the centrists, who understand that life is compromise.

Answer 7

No. Dubya, "The great uniter", has managed to make political discussion as uncivil as it can get.

I am a fiscal conservative, and a social liberal. And I think both sides have things wrong. extremest agendas are tearing our society apart. I tend to identify with the moderate Republicans, Arlan Specter for example. I tend to rely despise the all righteous ones, Rick Santorum for example.

Shrug

But you are correct. I think the majority of Americans are pretty moderate. Sadly, the lunatic fringe is in charge at the moment.

-Dio

Answer 8

You're right, most people fall into the moderate category, and those who swing very left or right usually run a major risk of a) totally alienating any voters on the other siode of the fence and b) alienating a lot of swing voters and moderates on their OWN side.
But the ability to disagree is what makes our system great, right?

Answer 9

I've always been a moderate, independent.

I, too, believe most Americans are in the middle.

Let's just hope, collectively, some day they will rise up to kick both of the extreme fractions out of office for the sake of all Americans.

Answer 10

I consider myself moderate. There are some things I agree with as far as Democrats are concerned, but I also agree with a lot of what Republicans believe.