aren't liberals and democrats the same thing?

Question

I always thought they were but now I'm seeing them used as separate terms? So does that make republican and conservative different terms as well?

Answer 1

It seems that politics any more is a line in the sand., the evidence that people are biased, depending on which news channel or religious leader they listen to.
Liberal, conservative.....who cares, they are labels people use to take sides.
Americans need to grow up and vote for people and policies, not a party.

Answer 2

They are not the same thing, and neither are Republican and Conservative. To make it more confusing, you can be a Liberal or Conservative Democrat and the same as a Republican.

This is why over-generalizing all liberal or all conservatives is ignorant because there are many different viewpoints.

For example, I am liberal and progressive, but not a registered Democrat. For one thing, I have no problems voting Republican if I agree with a candidate. I lean towards the Democratic side, but I agree with the right to bear arms, fiscal responsibility and strict immigration reform, which are traditionally Republican values.

Ideally, I would prefer to see more parties than just two, which can allow less partisanship bickering. This "my way or the highway" bit is getting old.

Answer 3

They are different things. Liberal means those who support allowing people to do what they want, and Democrat means people who support the Democrat party. Conservative means people who support retaining the core values that the country has had from the start, and Republican means those who support the Republican party. People often use them as synonyms mistakenly though... when someone's whining about the liberals then they really mean Democrats.

There are many ways that Democrats are not liberal, and that Republicans are not conservative.

Answer 4

No Democrat is a Political Party the same as Republicans. But Liberal and Conservative is a way of life.

Answer 5

I think the term liberal is being used to describe left leaning persons not neccessarily affiliated with the democratic party, same for conservative--right leaning, though not a card carrying member of the republican party. It gives people more maneuver room as far as what issues they will side with. I am liberal--I believe in fiscal responsibility and universal healthcare.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

No. I am liberal. The Democratic Party in general is too conservative for me, and has become so in the past decade, since the "Democratic Leadership Conference" gained prominence. This includes such conservative politicians as Bill Clinton and Joe Lieberman. They are considered conservative because of their tendancy to maintain status quo, which is the definition of conservative. Deviation from the direction that things are heading would have been considered liberal. Bill Clinton's support of NAFTA, for example, and his enactment of "welfare reform" are marks of conservatism, becuase they followed trends and current directions. Clinton's economic policies were also considered conservative.

On the flip side, many of the Bush policies are considered quite liberal, even though he is said to be "conservative." It's weird, this labelling system. His policies are quite deviant. Unprecedented were concepts of the Bush Doctrine, with its preemption in war. Also his spending style is quite liberal. He is also very liberal with our environmental and energy policies, completely changing course. He arguably is liberal in more areas than any modern day president.

Answer 8

"aren't liberals and democrats the same thing?"
No

"So does that make republican and conservative different terms as well?"
Yes

There's a lot of similarity and crossover, but they are different words because they mean different things. Being one doesn't absolutely mean you're the other.

Answer 9

they are not the same.. nor is conservative and republican as you have pointed out.. though the majority of liberals are democrats and the majority of conservatives are republican.. it is not set in stone..

liberal/conservative is a point of view towards life and how to live.

democrat/republican is a political party


many people are liberal on some subjects and conservative on others... actually most people are like that.. those that aren't are called extremists.

Answer 10

If you want a general term to describe those who lean to the left philosophically and politically, the term "liberal" is more accurate. Dems are often liberal too, but there's quite a range of opinion amongst folks on the left. Do you know what a populist is? How about what a progressive is? These are all liberal trains of thought, but those who espouse these ideas are not necessarily Democrats.