What are the main problems and/or difficulties with defining political ideologies?

Answer 1

none.

Machiavelli was correct about politics and that was over 500 years ago.

Answer 2

The more dictatorial the ideologue, the less honest they are about their own definitions and those they attribute to others.

National Socialism (aka Nazism) was anything but socialist; Nazism and Italian fascism were corporate states, where the wealthy and business ruled to the detriment of the majority, both in war profiteering and the destruction of human rights and freedoms.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? "Clear skies" allowed more pollution, "No Child Left Behind" crippled schools, the "war on terror" has been an exhibition of state terrorism, etc.

In the 1960s, red baiting ("he's a commie sympathizer") was a standard right wing insult; in the 1980s, "he's a card carrying member of the ACLU" was how Reagan insulted opponents; today, "he's a liberal" is an epithet. There is a distinct lack of honesty in US mentalitys.

And the reason I focus on the US? In most countries, conservative politicians are politically _left_ of Hillary Clinton, eg. Angela Merkel of Germany. To the rest of the world, the range of US politics is "fascist and more fascist", not "democrat and republican". Small wonder the US can't figure out why they're so reviled when they think their warped political spectrum is "normal" and "broad".


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Answer 3

The popular culture is a problem. The culture defines America in terms of lib/conserv when in fact the population is moderate as is demonstrated by the fact that we have both Dem and Rep Presidents. That means that millions of Dem voters cross over and voted for Repub candidates. Its not a lib/conserv thing at all. The Dem Party is popularly seen as liberal when in fact it is not and encompasses major voter blocks such as labor which is hardly liberal. The Dem Party in states and local election is sometimes even pretty far to the right. Republicans are not conservatives, only some voting blocks such as the religious right but that is not a solid, voting block. The religious right is always alluded to by the media and by Dems to try to shake moderate Repub voters into voting closer to the center or even slightly left. The Repub Party nationally is surprisingly moderate and have a very good record on employment issues and even race issues. You will never hear the Repub party saluted by the media for the appointment of blacks to responsible positions in government as that flys in the face of the image that Dems wish to project. The 1964 Civil Rights Act, a landmark, was authoried by Everett Dirkson, a moderate senator from Chicago, IL. Its a moderate country and the extremes on the right and left get all of the attention because they make so much noise and the media dummies down news to showing only protestors or freaks and it gives the wrong impression. Abortion did not change under what was seen as Bush's conservative government, and gun ownership did not change Clinton's liberal government. Why? Because they are not lib/conserv. This is a moderate country afterall.