Is America fundamentally a left-wing liberal or a right-wing conservative nation?

Question

I say it is a liberal/progressive nation because this nation only keeps getting more liberal (economically and socially) with every generation. That is the reason why the terms conservative and right-wing are synonymous in America. If instead, America kept becoming more traditional, intolerant, fundamentalist, and greedy with each generation, it would be the left-wing who would be known as the "conservatives."

Right-wingers are called "conservatives" because liberals keep pushing America to the left and suceeding. Today's conservatives are much more liberal then the conservatives of the past. Today's "mainstream" views are themselves more liberal then the "mainstream" views of the past.
----------
"The radical of one century is the conservative of the next. The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out the conservative adopts them."
-- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1898

coragryp,

The pendelum does swing to the left and to the right, but in the end, the pendelum itself is moving to the left.

I expect 100 year from now, gay marriage will be legal and we will have universal healthcare. Most people used to believe interracial marriage was wrong in the past. Those people are now in the minority. Same will go for gays.

Answer 1

At this time we are almost equally split, it is the moderates and independants that actually decide any vote. .

Answer 2

Cora is right, so is answerman.

Despite the widening wealth gap, the Wal-Martization of the economy, Katrina, Iraq, stolen elections, an $8 trillion national debt, tax cuts for the wealthy, and increasingly rapacious acts by corporations, many Americans are still oblivious to our descent into fascism. Sucking on the pacifier of conspicuous consumption, they "shop til they drop", lining Corporate America's pockets and freeing the ruling elite to pursue world domination, as outlined in the Project for the New American Century and the Bush Doctrine.

Certainly there are some decent human beings who hold great wealth or positions of power in the United States, but their voices and actions are readily neutralized by the far more numerous spiritually hollow individuals whose existence is predicated on attempting to fulfill their insatiable lust for money and domination of other people.

Answer 3

I agree - the country and the world in general tends towards the progressive position. As more inequities are discovered and dealt with - the further left we will head. It's historically true, and we are definitely headed for a more secular tolerant society. Many other countries are ahead of us and have as good a standard of living, comparable overall costs of government, and far less societal ills. Our system is a disgrace in terms of health and crime. A country as rich and powerful as we are should have defeated crime, disease, teen abortion, obesity, infant mortality and the like long ago. It's the conservatives that hold us back.

Answer 4

Neither! Traditionally we are up the middle. While American politics swings from left to right and right to left and so forth we have periods where the extremists seem to be in control but we usually come to our senses and go back to the center.

This is why I am predicting a Democratic landslide for '08 both for the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Answer 5

I really think the majority of people are truly in the middle of the road.

However the lucky bible banging folks get to practice religion and campaign 100% TAX FREE !!! That is abysmal. If politics are going to be part of the sermon they should not be exempt from taxes.

Answer 6

Neither.

American is fundamentally a nation of moderates. It appears otherwise because the extremists on both sides get all the media attention.

Answer 7

merica is a blend of liberal and conservative values. It is really a good mix.
Most Americans have progressive ideals, but the people who vote tend to be more conservative.

Answer 8

I think American is mainly moderate. Its just the loud mouths on either side that get all of the media attention. Most people are content to be normal.

Answer 9

No -- it's pretty much split.

Both liberals and conservatives make headway, which sometimes results in see-saw changes, and sometimes in both forms of regulation (personal and social) increasing in parallel.

Answer 10

I'd say it's a matter of opinion, something that you've already got so why ask?