In politics, what does it mean to be a liberal?

Answer 1

"Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded."
That pretty much says it all.

Answer 2

I would say more openminded. Some people see black and white, and some see shades of gray, liberals are more shades of gray.

However there is such a think as being to liberal. This country has many problems because of people being to liberal.

It also has had many problems because of being to strict. So a good liberal would be the middle ground liberal. Not a fanatic either way.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, I was born with a social conscience and a powerful aversion to tyranny. My strong support of universal human rights and dignity, social justice, equality, peace, and protection of the environment has led me to dissent vehemently against the American Empire. My strenuous objections to the widening wealth gap, the state terrorism committed by the United States and Israel, corporate abuse of consumers, employees and the environment, egregious violation of international law by the US (including torture on a wide scale), obscene hypocrisy concerning nuclear capacities, rapidly diminishing civil liberties, insane expenditure of our tax dollars for military purposes, and the rapid consolidation of power into the Executive Branch have earned me the brand of "liberal".

Answer 4

Liberals believe in big gov't, high taxes as a result...they believe that life for the common person is unfair and they are intelligent enough to spend the peoples money for them.... thus, attack the rich, and have all problems solved thru laws and bureau's... another trait is they dislike the military unless they are doing humanitarian work or serving tea at political luncheons..

Answer 5

Liberalism refers to a broad array of related doctrines, ideologies, philosophical views, and political traditions which hold that individual liberty is the primary political value.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Age of Enlightenment, but the term has taken on different meanings in different time periods. -Wikipedia (open source/ GNUU)

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, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports 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 new liberals advocate a greater degree of government influence in the free market to protect what they perceive to be natural rights, often in the form of anti-discrimination laws, 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 in the market are rejected as interference 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.

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.

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.

From Webster's:

Not to be confused with "economic liberalism", which means letting the forces of the market operate without regulation or restriction (this liberalism is currently championed by conservatives) "Political liberalism" basically means: of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives.

To be a liberal in one's personality (not politically but "personally" liberal) means to be:
marked by generosity : OPENHANDED b : given or provided in a generous and openhanded way c : AMPLE, FULL
3 Advocating moral autonomy
4 : not literal or strict, LICENSIOUS,
5 : BROAD-MINDED; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms.
6 : Unconventional or innovative in approaching problems.

Answer 6

Depends on who answers your question I suppose.

Answer 7

It's when you own a Volvo.

Answer 8

It means to be a traitor, a loser, and a destroyer of freedom, honor, God, and country.

Answer 9

Anti-american, blame america first, leech off the working man, spit on the flag and troops, kill babies, etc.