What exactly is the "extreme left" in America?

Question

Can you give me some of their viewpoints? and some examples of famous people who are?

Just curious..

Answer 1

First, let me tell you a little about my political views so that you know where I'm coming from when I look at the extreme left.

I am a registered to vote as a member of the Libertarian party. I would consider myself a Conservative-Libertarian.

I am extremely fiscally conservative as most Libertarian are. I differ with some of the more Liberal-Libertarians in that I am Pro-Life. I am also pro-legalization of marijuana. That pretty much makes me a social moderate. I am fairly moderate when it comes to the environment as well. I love the bodies of water near me like Lake Tahoe and the Pacific, so I'm willing to pay an extra 0.50% in sales tax or an extra $10 to launch my boat into a local lake if it helps keep the water clean and clear. Yet, I am in favor of expanding the drilling for oil in Alaska. Having friends in the oil industry, I do not believe that extra drilling will damage any kind of majestic peaks as some of the Liberal Senators would have you believe.

I am against the War in Iraq and the War on Terror, but I do believe in maintaining a strong military. I do not believe in conscription. I believe in the necessity of the CIA, but I do not believe an extremely secretive government. Unless protecting the lives and identities of agents under cover, the government should be completely transparent in all that it does.

I would consider the extreme left in America to be people who look to the government to fix everything. They are the wanna-be Robin Hoods of the country. They want to steal from the rich and give it to the poor. The care not how hard a man or woman worked to get to where they are. America is not made up of all "Old-Money" elitist like much of Europe is. It is possible to come from nothing and to make it rich in America, which, is because of our low taxes, free market economy and entrepreneurial spirit.

The extreme left are people who think that plants animals should have more rights than humans. Its okay to kill a human baby in the womb but it isn't okay to cut down a few trees, heaven forbid without replacing them, to build a house or a school or an office building or a hotel.

In unkind terms I would call them tree-hugging, bleeding heart, tax and spend, nut jobs.

Extreme socialist. Extreme environmentalist. In favor of an extremely large government. Centrally planned economist. They are also people that do not believe in the rights of the individual over the rights of the State or the community. I, on the other hand, think that individual rights come first, followed by the rights of the State.

But this is all just one man's opinion.

Answer 2

From a realistic standpoint, the extreme left in America would include things like eco-terrorists. They feel that environmental and animal liberation concerns are justification for employing violence. The Animal Liberation Front, the Earth Liberation Front would be included. PETA would also be included to an extent for an "alleged" financial link to the ALF and Rodney Adam Coronado.

Answer 3

A few I can label are those who want to spend govt. monies to protect the desert tumbleweed, endangered tortoise/blah blah rodent/ squirrel(yeah, those are synonymous to the real names of whatever) , give monies to special interest groups to explore the NAMBLA organization ..you get my point. They waste far more than is being used now. I am not going to cite, or link, go check it out for yourselves. When you start putting animals, criminal, illegal rights before other issues, that is extreme. I have enough years of experience and have lived enough places to see what is meant by extreme left. And, why didn't that Baldwin guy move like he promised?

Answer 4

The extreme left generally is idealistic to the point of folly. They would take all the money away from the military to solve social problems. The Greens are over there to the left, for their single-issue mentality that benefits us all (at all costs). Ralph Nader is about as far left as they come.

This segment of the political spectrum has been largely marginalized by the right's presentation of moderateness as 'liberal'. Leaving ordinary liberals LOOKING like the far left.

Answer 5

Far left, extreme left, leftist, or radical left are terms used to discuss the qualitative or relative position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum. The terms "far right" and "far left" are often used to say that someone is an "extremist." "Far left" is thus usually a pejorative term used by outsiders rather than a self-label. Ultra-left is sometimes used in the same way, but also has a more specific meaning within the Marxist tradition. Hard left is also sometimes used in the same way, but also has a more specific meaning within the British Labour Party.

The far left has often been associated in various degrees with socialism, communism, anarchism, anarcho-syndicalism, anarcho-capitalism, radical feminism, Marxist-Leninism, Maoism, Post-Zionism, internationalism, populism, and mutualism.

Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marx's work on one hand, and to the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand (namely, parts of the First International during Marx's time, communist parties and later states). Marxism identifies the race towards communism in a number of stages. The first stage being feudalism, second one being capitalism, which is then followed by socialism. The closing stages result in communism. Marx, a 19th century socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, often in collaboration with Friedrich Engels, developed a critique of society which he claimed was both scientific and revolutionary. This critique achieved its most systematic (albeit unfinished) expression in his most famous work, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, more commonly known as Das Kapital (1867). Nevertheless, there have been numerous debates among Marxists over how to interpret Marx's writings and how to apply his concepts to current events and conditions. The legacy of Marx's thought is bitterly contested among proponents of numerous viewpoints who claim to be Marx's most accurate interpreters. There have been many academic theories, social movements, political parties and governments that lay claim to being founded on Marxist principles. Indeed, academic theorising on Marxism is so widespread that there are a number of different schools of Marxism in addition to the classical Marxism of Marx and Engels. Similarly, the use of Marxist theory in politics, including the social democratic movements in 20th century Europe, the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc countries, Mao and other revolutionaries in agrarian developing countries have added new ideas to Marx and otherwise transmuted Marxism so much that it is difficult to define its core.

Answer 6

I think it's a fictitious villain ,created by the neocons, for the simple fact that they are soooooooo far right,that even the moderate Republican conservatives seem so far to the left, they simply assume that there surely must be an equally opposite view point ,way out in left field,so far they can only imagine it

Answer 7

The people in control of the Democratic party.
Dean, Pelosi, Kennedy, Kerry to name a few.

Answer 8

I have no idea. Issues like social and economic justice, peace, civil rights, and saving the planet are mainstream American values, everywhere except Washington DC.

Answer 9

depends on who you are asking.
if you are asking the extreme right-wing christian fanatics, they are anyone who doesn;t believe exactly as they do.

Answer 10

According to certain republicans, anyone that opposes their president is extreme leftwing.

It's a hard question to answer since extreme is such a subjective term. What is extreme to one person is perfectly moderate to another.