How to spot a liberal?

They don't like Fox News. Oh, and they think the constitution is in charge of the president.

 

Anyone to the left...or the right...of me.

 

Are you claiming that the President is above the Constitution? I don't agree with that. I think that's why we have the option of impeachment.

 

They're always threatening to impeach the President Bush.

 

They support Ron Paul :laugh: Just kidding.

I am not huge on labels. However, I see more liberalism in the Dems than in the GOP. However, the GOP is not without its liberal elements, both in platform and personality.

 

These people are hacks.

 

How to SPOT a liberal?

Squirt black ink on it.

 

Whomever occupies the presidency should always have the fear of impeachment hanging over him, just as the threat of being voted out of office is to constantly hang over the members of Congress, and just as the threat of the Congress restricting the jurisdiction of the federal courts should constantly hang over the heads of the federal judges/justices. It is how the Founding Fathers intended for the system to work. They wanted all three branches of the federal government to be equal, not for one of them to be above the other two - and certainly not above the people but to be the servants of the people.

 

Agreed, but the cry for impeachment should not be based on the whims of political hacks looking for payback.

Makes me long for British Parliament. Bush should have to come to the House Floor and answer to the Congress at least monthly.

 

Wouldn't that be fun. :laugh:

 

a "liberal," IMO...

• values group identity (e.g., racial, gender, "sexual preference," etc.,) over individualism;
• believes the government is the grantor of rights and liberties (rather than recognizing inalienable rights given by the Creator); thus,
• looks to government before individuals for solutions to problems faced in society;
• tends to favor centralized government over decentralized;
• is spooked by absolutes.

 

While I consider myself a fiscal moderate / conservative and a social liberal / progressive, I think some of the items on these lists are way off base.

• is pro-choice

While I don't believe in abortion as birth control, I don't see it as totally black and white. I also don't view blastocysts as having rights over human beings already here

• is a proponent of gay rights

I am a proponent of human rights for ALL people

• believes that money is the great problem solver

Money doesn't solve all problems, but it sure helps quite a few of them. Ask a mom without money to feed her kids, the elderly person who has to choose between medicine and food, the dad who can't get a needed operation because he cannot be off work.

• cannot "define" pornography

Seems to me that sexually exploitive material pandering to the lustful nature would fit the bill. Yet I don't believe it is the government's business to regulate what adults can and cannot read or view.

• believes in situational ethics (which means no ethics)

Situational ethics DOES NOT mean no ethics. I think everyone believes this at some level. Lying is wrong, but we all do it, to be tactful, to not hurt someone, or to prevent some greater harm. Some situations IS a choice of the lesser of two evils.

• values group identity (e.g., racial, gender, "sexual preference," etc.,) over individualism;

I don't know any liberal who believes that, and I know many.

• believes the government is the grantor of rights and liberties (rather than recognizing inalienable rights given by the Creator); thus,

Again, this is total fabrication. I, and liberals I know, believe that we have rights by virtue of our humanity. The government does not grant liberty, but it should have a hand in protecting and preserving it.

• looks to government before individuals for solutions to problems faced in society;

Some problems can be better solved collectively. Do we each want to build our own roads, drill and refine our own petroleum, give ourselves surgery? Goverment is a superset of "We the People". This doesn't negate the power and ability of a determined individual.

• tends to favor centralized government over decentralized;

This is not a liberal v. conservative argument at all. More of a continuation of a debate that has gone on since the founding of the nation.

• is spooked by absolutes.

That one doesn't even make sense. There are many absolutes. There are also many shades of gray in some matters. The world is not all binary.

 

I was referring to stem cell research, which many "pro-lifers" are against. You missed the point.

Sorry, but sexual identity IS part of humanity. I am FOR equality and equal rights for everyone; gay or straight, man or woman, etc. Again, you missed the point.

I don't know of anyone who believes it will, therefore I believe your argument to be a strawman. Again, you missed the point.

Kiddy porn, torture and other such horrors were not part of the discussion. Again, you missed the point.

No matter the denials, EVERYONE uses situational ethics. It has no bearing on liberal v. conservative. Yet again, you missed the point.

Bottom line there is a continuum. Reactionaries want to go backwards. Conservatives resist change. Moderates are in the middle, and are open to some progressive changes in society. Progressives are more open to change, and liberals want to make changes at a much quicker rate. At least that is how I see it.

In practical terms, it seems to me that what is commonly called conservative is just mean spirited people who have no love of their fellow human beings, and the term liberal is used to villify those who don't agree. I find that sad. The polarization of American politics is doing no one any good. People need to find middle ground as has always been done in the past. There's a conservative statement for you.