Here's a stupid question, What's a Liberal? I know it's a political choice, but what do they stand for?

Question

I'm always hearing people trash talk the Liberals just curious I try to look this junk up on the internet, but it's all pretty confusing when it comes to breaking down political parties, I know what I am based on my beliefs, but am confused on anything that isn't republican or democratic.

Answer 1

I am a far left liberal. The main reason I consider myself a liberal is because I am a constitutionalist. This means that I believe in every part of it... not just portions and leave out parts I don't like the way that Republicans tend to ignore parts that don't fit with their unconstitution legislation.

My liberal belief system is as follows:

- I believe in war as a last resort or unless we or an ally have been attacked. IEs, Gulf War and Pearl Harbor
- I believe in UN support and if the UN is corrupt, instead of bailing on them, fix it.
- I believe we have a duty to pay our elderly social security because they paid those funds when they were working. That is like robbing them if we do not pay it back.
- I do not believe trickle down economics of Reagan, Bush Sr, and Bush Jr works. It never works. I believe in Clinton's economic system that is commonly referred to as Pay-As-You-Go.
- I believe in FDR's New Deal that the republican party has been trying to destroy piece by piece.
- I believe our social programs that keep families from living under bridges prevent us from becoming a 3rd world country.
- I believe in welfare but I also believe in Clinton's welfare reform where it is limited to 2 to 3 years in a lifetime. This prevents ppl from living on it their entire life; thereby, prevents welfare abuse.
- I believe in universal healthcare because a healthy nation is a powerful nation and also the pharmcy/insurance companies are corrupt.
- I believe in government regulation of monopolies such as power/energy, cable and telephone companies. Everytime the government deregulates these industries, they promise the price will go down but it never does... it always increases thereby increases the cost of living.
- I do not believe in making laws that violate constiutional rights... such as the Patriot Act or even seatbelt laws.
- I do not believe in making new laws everytime a problem arises; but rather, to fix the problem.
- I believe in gay marriage because gay ppl pay taxes too and heteorsexual couples should not be given special rights by the states just because they are straight. Otherwise take away those special rights and don't allow the state to recognize anyone's marriage.
- I believe in a woman's right to choose because just as the Supreme Court has ruled, a woman has a constitutional right to privacy over what happens to her body.
- I believe in the right to own a gun because it is a constitutional right.
- I believe in the constitution 110% and the liberties it allows each citizen.
- I am anti-illegal immigration because simply, they break the law by entering illegally.
- I believe in complete separation of church and state per the constitution and as interpreted by Thomas Jefferson who stated, "thus building a wall of separation between Church and State"
- I believe in SMALL GOVERNMENT in terms of big brother staying the hell out of my business. I've never participated in a census and refuse to. I am a LIBERAL and believe government has NO RIGHT to stick its nose in my business.

Answer 2

Here's the True Secret and I'm telling you something that most Americans don't know:

Liberals are the True "Conservatives". Why? Because Conservatives" are supposed to stand for Traditional American Values but that's what Liberals do. The oldest "Traditional American Value" is the US Constitution that include the right to free speech, freedom of expression, the right to the pursuit of life, liberty, happiness and wealth, so that Liberals are continuing to foster what our founding Fathers wanted for the earliest United States on July 4, 1776-- Our Independence Day.

The New "Conservatives" (Neoconservatives), are truly fighting to change "Traditional American Values" because they are revamping the US Constitution so our rights disappear. Lately, New Conservatives been doing this under the Patriot Act, which they forced on Congress after 9/11. Here's how:

Someone sent Anthrax to the Senate Building just as the Patriot Act arrived in the mail. Senators ran out of the building and didn't read it. The Patriot Act was signed later without being read. It is a huge document that includes many new amendments which violate your right to free speech and your right to privacy. (Read the Constitution and the Patriot Act)

New or Neo Conservatives are using fear to accomplish the destruction of the US Constitution. They want wealth and power from you. So they are using "Liberal" as a divide and conquer term so you will think others are weird and should be feared. The true term for Liberals should be "Old Conservatives".

Go to sites like The Center for Constitutional Rights. These are Old Conservative Attorneys (Liberals) who are working to undo the harm that has been done by Neo Conservatives, particularly with their Patriot Act. Many people are already wise to the harm that is being done.

Don't feel bad. If you decide that you believe in the US Constitution and the people who died for it, start calling yourself an OLD CONSERVATIVE OR A FIRST CONSERVATIVE. Take the term back and try to see the best in people and help by asking questions and writing about these issues like you're doing. America needs people like you.

Tell the media and politicians that you don't want them to divide people anymore. Hopefully, Neo Conservatives will catch on very soon!

Answer 3

I can only tell you what I stand for as a liberal, basically it is that all mankind was created equal and therefore should have the same protections under law regardles of any other factor. It is also that we look at the big picture not just the short term. An example of that would be ACLU. They defend some pretty scummy people sometimes. Why? To protect the rest of our rights in the long term. Sure it is easy to say that some person should not have rights because I think they are a POS, but in the long run if we take away their rights what stops someone from taking away ours if they disagree with us.

Answer 4

From wikipedia: Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought.

Broadly speaking, contemporary liberalism emphasizes individual rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, free public education, 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 all citizens are protected. [2] In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed[3].

Many liberals advocate a greater degree of government interference in the free market, often in the form of anti-discrimination laws, civil service examinations, universal education, and progressive taxation. This philosophy frequently extends to a belief that the government should provide for a degree of general welfare, including Unemployment benefits for the poor, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick. Such publicly-funded initiatives and interferences in the market are rejected by modern advocates of classical liberalism, which emphasizes free private enterprise, individual property rights and freedom of contract; classical liberals hold that economic inequality, as arising naturally from competition in the free market, does not justify the violation of private property rights. However, modern advocates of classical liberalism do advocate a heavier taxation on the corporation, as opposed to the current trend of the burden of income tax resting on the shoulders of the individual worker, as did the early classical liberals.

Liberalism rejected many foundational assumptions which dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, and established religion. Fundamental human rights that all liberals support include the right to life, liberty, and property. Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought, with adherents spanning a large part of the political spectrum.

A broader use of the term liberalism is in the context of liberal democracy (see also constitutionalism). In this sense of the word, it refers to a democracy in which the powers of government are limited and the rights of citizens are legally defined; this applies to nearly all Western democracies, and therefore is not solely associated with liberal parties.

Answer 5

Wow... don't even know where to begin...
Liberalism is a political ideology (alongside conservatism and socialism) that stems (mostly) from the work of the Scottish economist Adam Smith and his theory of market economy and the Enlightenment. It was first developed during the XIX century and is considered to be the ideology of choice for the middle class.
It's core belief is this: freedom (the word "liberalism" comes from the Latin word for "freedom"). For instance the freedom to spend your money as you wish, that's why liberals do not normally like high taxes (especially compared to socialists); freedom to say marry whom you wish (support for gay marriage); freedom to conduct research as you wish (a more lax approach to, say, stem cell research); freedom to choose your one religion (hence secularism, no "we are a Christian nation"-talking); freedom to move (a, well, liberal approach to immigration) and so on.
However, "with great power; comes great responsibility"; that's why liberals advocate harder sentences and lower subsidies (again, compared to socialists).
So, freedom and tolerance are the central notions here.
Hope I've been helpful.

Answer 6

Give me LIBERTY of give me death. - Patrick Henry

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. - JFK

What do you mean, you "Don't believe in homosexuality"? It's not like the Easter Bunny, your belief isn't necessary. - Lea DeLaria

He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Religion is not a two-party system. - Keila Szpaller

Reality has a well-known liberal bias. -- Stephen Colbert

Answer 7

Liberals tend to be more permissive, and giving towards the poor etc. Some of them are also extremely gullible, and they get really surprised and hurt when they get taken for a ride by more unscrupulous persons AND countries. Conservatives get led around by their wallets, and taken for a ride that way, so nobody's perfect! LOL

Answer 8

depends:

social services - liberals believe that the govt shud do more for the people such as drug treatment, aid for dependent moms etc.

politically - liberals believe in less govt intervention in peoples lives.

economically - liberals take the stand that wealth shud be equally distributed depending on class.

these are broad statements. im a liberal and i just feel that the govt shud not be so instrusive.

Answer 9

you dont need to be either. every response you get to this on yahoo is going to be completely biased one or way the other anyway.

edit- Faerie, she's asking for an objective definition of 'liberal' qua current American politics, not the complete existential foundation of Western philosophy: two things she will not get on yahoo answers anyway.

Answer 10

This is John F Kennedys definition

http://www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/whatis.html