Why only liberal vs. conservative?

Question

The line is not that black and white in reality. Most people have distinct and complex views on war and government of many colors in between.

Answer 1

Because they have the opposite values and beliefs !!!

Answer 2

because your government is run by two parties - the liberal and the conservative. although the members of the parties might have different views, the members always have to stand by what their party stands. this is not always the case of course, that's why arguments may arise within either of the bloc. but then, the party deliberates and they'd soon reach an understanding, and that's what the party will be upholding.

It's liberal vs. conservative, but i think you can always make more. The catch is, with the powers of these two, any competitor won't stand a chance.

but then, there are also those bravehearts who do not agree with either of the two, and chose to be with their own views. and they're called the independents. but i haven't known of a party ran by all independents. so it's still liberal vs. conservative.

Answer 3

Actually the Liberals are a part of the Democratic party, but if the Democrats have any brains they will separate from them. The differences between moderate Demo crates and most Republicans is very small and compromises could be reached. Liberals are so far away from both parties mainstream as to not even be on the same playing field. Nancy Pelosi may inadvertently start this as she is already making alot of the Democrats in Washington mad. She is the best thing that happened to the Republicans this last election. She will hand the Senate back with her socialist ideals and agendas

Answer 4

Political bias is a steaming load of BS. The infighting is designed to keep us busy, to keep us from seeing that we are paying more and getting nothing...STILL! Abortion, gay marriage, immigration...non-issues. Just little argument points to keep the extreme left and right arguing. Our politicians are not interested in these silly non-issues although they sure pretend to be. They are however, more interested in continuing the status quo, the constant see-saw of power and allowing it to continue uninterrupted. They throw these little nuggets of unfairness out here to us as one would toss a chunk of leftover beef to our dog. A little something to tide us over till the next election.

Seems to me, the majority of Americans are centrist while the extremely biased people make the most noise, garnering the attention and thusly...we keep getting the see-saw of power. Liberal for 6-8 years, then Conservative for 6-8 years. If you look closely, you cannot see a difference in political bias between former President Clinton and current President Bush. The line is almost invisible but try to get anyone else to notice it.

Talk about not paying attention to the man behind the curtain...we have no clue who the man/men behind the curtain really are. It isn't anyone who lived in the White House recently though....

Answer 5

Life is simple when you look at it as a forest from a bird's eye view. It becomes complex when you begin to see that forest of life from the eye of a squirrel. How many times have you heard of someone (maybe yourself) say they are, or were, lost?

The same is true in politics. Things are either simple or complex depending on your perspective. Much of that has to do with experience and political maturity. I first got actively involved in politics when I was 14 years old and became the youngest person in attendence (even though I could not vote) at my Precinct Convention.

The candidate I was supporting carried our Precinct by 2-to-1 odds while the key opponent carried our state by 2-to-1 overall. Those are rough numbers but you get the point.

I've gone from being a wide eyed liberal who supported gay rights, abortion, social security (as is), welfare, a graduated tax system where the rich are taxed at higher rates and just about the entire line of the Democratic Party platform in any given year.

Years ago I began disagreeing with the liberals in the Democratic Party on a few issues which then grew into several key issues that I just couldn't find a way to work with them on. I will fail to expalin in detail here what those issues are - so that I can get to answering your question.

I left the liberal movement and 'partied' with Ross Perot's Reform Party and the Libertarian Party as well. Those were brief and fairly uneventful. I eventually came to the realization that, to have any significant impact upon the American political system, I must be either a Democrat or a Republican. They are essentially the only two Parties that have any real power and most elected officials, that's an understatement, are one or the other.

Yes, politics can be seen as complex. But that is an immature view most often entertained by those who have spent most of their time sitting in the cheap seats in politics. In other words there are the players on the field and the spectators in the stands.

How do you know if you're a spectator vs. a player? Have you ever run for public office or served in public office? Have you ever been a delegate to a precinct but particularly state or national political convention in either of the two major parties? How often do you attend regular meetings of either political party locally? How often are you regularly involved in the campaigns of those who are seeking office? Do you give more than $200, each election cycle, to - at least - one candidate?

If you have answered no and zero to these questions then you are in the majority. You might vote. You might fail to vote in all elections - school board and municipal. Maybe you even put a bumper sticker on your vehicle or a sign in your yard. But the bottom line is you're a spectator in the Political Olympics. You have essentially chosen to sit in the cheap seats while others do the work of governing our communities, nation and society. You are allowing others to determine your political future.

Yes, to this day, I am what some conservatives may call liberal on some issues. It's all perspective. But when you look at the details of my public policy stands you will find I am very conservative on every one but not always in the same way you see conservatives in general.

Let me give you an example. Liberals usually are for labor rights. The rights of the worker and the little guy as some say. Conservatives generally line up on the side of management and business. I'm for both and my name's not Bill Clinton - It would be impossible for me to care less about appealing to everyone.

I believe government, and society can not exist without businesses creating new products and jobs. I also believe that private ownership/capitalism instills a sense of pride and commitment that communism/socialism will always fail to outperform. I also believe that to maximize that performance everyone must be treated fairly and allowed to participate in that private ownership. This can be done in a number of creative ways.

One example is cutting everyone's base pay (management and labor) and then giving everyone the same percentage bonuses based on their base pay and the companys financial performance. Equality. Fairness. Capitalism at it's finest.

How does this translate into liberal vs. conservative. The first thing I would do is pass a Constitutional Amendment that guarantees US Citizens the right of collective bargaining. The second thing I would do is abolish, un-fund, negate many of the labor laws we have.

What does this do? It allows any workers to band together and negotiate together as a team with management. But it removes government (bureaucrats) from the process and allows the private sector to solve it's own problems. It requires less government employees and therefore requires less in taxes and government spending. This allows the businesses and each citizen to keep more of their earnings which helps them solve their own problems without government interference and dictating how things should be.

Many conservatives, when first approached with this concept will be skeptical. However, once they see the electoral ramifications of it they will see how it benefits them to support it.

There are thousands of issues just like this one. More than that actually. Most people will go the balance of their life failing to understand the distinction between many of them and how they are related and play out in reality.

Both party's are essentially run by money. Once you do your homework and find out who 'owns' the politicians you will begin to have an understanding, if only a glimpse, of how things work and why labels such as liberal and conservative are used to identify and divide Americans against each other.

Answer 6

You are absolutely right.The black and white thinking is a way to dumb down political choices while in reality every reasonable choice and policy proposal is complicated.
Politics isn't football and I think it's a very destructive mentality.Hooray for my team,down with the other team doesn't lead to an intelligent discussion and certainly not to balanced opinions and policies.

Answer 7

I would support a multi-platform party system but it would take some work to get it functional. The Democrats are made of of several parties if you divide them. The Republicans have about four or so sects within their organization. I feel it would make things less confusing and more balanced. I didn't say it would be easy to do...

Answer 8

It serves some people's political purposes to polarize debates. On top of that, conservatives like to look at things in simplistic ways, and those who see a lot of nuances get derided as "wimps" for not taking bold stands.

Answer 9

ill disagree with george up there. they have very similiar values and beliefs. but thats not the question. the question is why more political beliefs aren't represented in american politics. its all about the illusion of choice. as long as people feel they are given a choice, they will not revolt. in pre-war iraq, the people were allowed to vote. but there was only one candidate. luckily, here in the birthplace of democracy, we have two! sure there are other parties that are allowed to run, but they receive no federal aid, and are not allowed to participate in presidential debates. but, as long as there is still a choice, people will blindly nod their heads and go along with the ruse of american democracy.

Answer 10

Because Liberal view points while sounding like altruistic humanitarianism are in actuality a bid for total power over the citizens.Where your children are schooled, what they are taught,who can work,what they can be paid,how you can raise your kids,what you can drive,what you can manufacture,what you can buy,that you can not defend yourself,that all is dependent on the government.They speak of personal freedom as they take it from you.

Answer 11

Well we live in a world of thesis and antithesis. Nothing that is ever created is so without an opposing force. This happens in nature on all levels. Anything that you can think of that happens in this world does so because there was an equal but opposite force resisting it.