Democrats: What is your definition of a liberal?

Answer 1

There are negative and positive definitions. For me, I looked at what the historical perspective was; what did the republicans do, believe in and represent, what did the democrats do, believe in and represent. When I added it all up, I decided to vote democrat and always have. I don't consider myself 'liberal' or 'conservative' as I vote for what is right.

Republicans seem to be war hawks, lean on the side of big business and don't care about the poor. Those are the things that bother me the most. Now we have Bush, he brings new meaning to republican.

Answer 2

I guess the best definition I can come up with is, someone who believes in bringing about changes in societies to better the lot of all humankind. This is in direct contrast to a conservative viewpoint, which tends to resist change. In America, conservatives tend to have higher standards of living, and their willingness to change or not change does overall seem tied to betterment of their own lot, rather than the lot of all Americans. This is too broad a generalization, however, since there are always people who resist change no matter what is at stake, and those who embrace it for reasons which have nothing to do with bettering the lives of others.

These generalizations necessarily include extremists from both camps, people who are disconnected from reality and lost to reason and compromise on some level. Sadly, they tend to be the brush the entire group becomes tarred by. I think most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

Answer 3

ABC News on Mark Foley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG1SDKRU3Vc&NR

Olbermann's Comment on Habeas Corpus Loss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ao0RrXHZEk

Can Bush, Fox News, Others Blame Foley Scandal on Democrats?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnIgRyN3uHA&mode=related&search=

Republicans for Fear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLG9TmRt0NM&mode=related&search=

Answer 4

I go to wikipedia for this, I cannot put in words any better then this, what my definition of a liberal is. 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, 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 modern 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 benefits for the unemployed, 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

Apparently, compared to the others answers on this board, a liberal is someone capable of rational thought.

Answer 6

Proud to be an American, Proud to be a Liberal

by Hugh Conrad
If being liberal means that I:

-- Stand up for "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," whether the people are white, brown, black, yellow, or red;

-- Stand up for the downtrodden and oppressed, in this country and those beyond our borders;

-- Stand up for the rights of the elderly who rely upon the gift from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who founded Social Security as a way to allow seniors to spend their final years in dignity;

-- Stand with the decision of President Harry S. Truman when he pursued one of the greatest humanitarian programs of all time by rebuilding Europe after WW II through the Marshall Plan;

-- Stand up for the rights of the media to express opinions that may differ from those of the government;

-- Stand up for the people who must rely upon Medicare for their health care needs in their senior years;

-- Stand up for the right of our people to assemble and march against the policies of our government, as hundreds of thousands did in November in our nation's capital against the Bush Iraqi policy;

-- Stand up for the defense of our country like President John F. Kennedy did in the greatest victory in the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962;
Then Mr. Bush, I am proud to be an American, and proud to be a Liberal.

If being liberal means that I:

-- Stand up for our veterans who have saved Democracy through their heroic actions over the past 226 years, by giving them health care and reasonable retirement plans;

-- Stand with the decision of President Roosevelt to establish the Securities and Exchange Commission, an organization that saved the free-enterprise system in the 1930's when it was in danger of collapsing;

-- Stand for the provision of a public education for all Americans, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, or income-level;

-- Agree with the fortitude of President Truman when he integrated the Armed Forces in 1948;

-- Stand with those who have been granted a right to trial by jury, regardless of their financial condition;

-- Stand with those who fight to give every American the right to representation by counsel;

-- Stand with those who work so hard to take care of children in underprivileged families or in abused family situations;

-- Stand with those who have fought so hard for the rights of minorities in this country, something so diligently pursued by a Republican, Abraham Lincoln;

Then Mr. Bush, I repeat, I am proud to be an American, and proud to be a Liberal.

Despite the fact that you followed no political philosophy other than expediency in your career, and despite the fact that you have provided us with the most intellectually-challenged president in my lifetime, one who is compassionate in word but despotic in deed -- despite all of that, I must tell you: "I am proud to used the "L word" prior to, or after, my name."

Answer 7

a wimpy pacifist who thinks defending him self will only make his attacker more angry so he should just give up and surrender his will in the name of peace.

Answer 8

yellow cowards cut and run cry babies blamers whiners welfare recipients

Answer 9

A loser.