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I think the whole liberal = insult thing came about during the Cold War. Someone decided that liberal = socialist = communist = liberals are bad.
And that mentality has stuck with the USA since then.

I wasn't around, but I always assumed that it had something to do with the whole McCarthy situation.

Hmm, someone voted 'communist'. Wonder who that was.

I always just figured it was because we let political groups name themselves.

For example after a while "progressive" may be an insult.

Personally I wish political parties and other political groups wouldn't use adjectives as their name.

Rochey wrote:Hmm, someone voted 'communist'. Wonder who that was.

moi

Captain Seafort wrote:It's also the only place I'm aware of where "Liberal" is used as a synonym for "left wing". Where did that come from? I've always considerd myself liberal in the sense of supporting free trade and minimal state involvement in the lives of individuals, which is in sharp contrast to the tendency of socialim towards extensive micro-management of the economy and society.

Is this a case of the US using a different definition to the one I'm aware of, or is it simply a demonstration of the US centre-right/far right political split relative to most countries' left/right split?

As a simplification, your 2nd guess is closest to the truth. The Right in America has shoved the weighted center so far right that our "left wing" is like the rest of the first world's "right wing."

Duskofdead wrote:
As a simplification, your 2nd guess is closest to the truth. The Right in America has shoved the weighted center so far right that our "left wing" is like the rest of the first world's "right wing."

I've stated before that the most liberal politician in the US is more right than a member of the Canadian Progressive Conservative Party.

Cpl Kendall wrote:

Duskofdead wrote:
As a simplification, your 2nd guess is closest to the truth. The Right in America has shoved the weighted center so far right that our "left wing" is like the rest of the first world's "right wing."

I've stated before that the most liberal politician in the US is more right than a member of the Canadian Progressive Conservative Party.

Anyone with a bit of perspective can see that is true, and that's why it is so nauseating when right wingers in America go off about how this Democrat or that Democrat is INCREDIBLY RADICALLY SUPER LEFT WING!!!!! (OMG X-TRA XTREME LEFT WING RADIKULLL DID I MENTION LEFT WING?!)

Most of the time they're talking about people who are significantly more right-wing than myself... and I don't even consider MYSELF super super super radical left wing. I'm not for abolishing private ownership or anything--- but then half the time the American right doesn't know what the hell it's talking about.

Rochey wrote:I think the whole liberal = insult thing came about during the Cold War. Someone decided that liberal = socialist = communist = liberals are bad.
And that mentality has stuck with the USA since then.

In the French Revolution (which is where we get the labels left and right) the lefters were part of Robespiere's crew. Though the right were for a monarchy.

I saw on CNN that over 65% of Americans are liberals but only around 20% identify themselves as such.

Cpl Kendall wrote: I've stated before that the most liberal politician in the US is more right than a member of the Canadian Progressive Conservative Party.

Well they say they are. Most of the reaction dusk is talking about comes from, I think, the idea that their real opinions are far more out there than they're willing to admit. Since going straight for such a stance would result in political suicide.

I'm gonna agree with Kendall there. From what I've seen of the actions of the modern Democratic party, they're more right wing than any political party over here in Ireland.

Rochey wrote:I'm gonna agree with Kendall there. From what I've seen of the actions of the modern Democratic party, they're more right wing than any political party over here in Ireland.

It would be fairly accurate to say that for the most part the established Dem career political element is the "moderate" (read: more right-friendly) face on basically anyone who falls to the left of America's right wing. And what falls left of America's right wing is a LOT of different ideologies and political spectrums, that's why we have a hard time being hard defined on specific issues point by point. (Something we are always criticized for by the American right, "not standing for anything" and other such exaggeration.)

I think that that phenomenon is due to what some of our non-American friends have referenced; when the mid-point is already so far to the right, left of "center" necessarily encompasses a lot of territory.

sunnyside wrote:

Cpl Kendall wrote: I've stated before that the most liberal politician in the US is more right than a member of the Canadian Progressive Conservative Party.

Well they say they are. Most of the reaction dusk is talking about comes from, I think, the idea that their real opinions are far more out there than they're willing to admit. Since going straight for such a stance would result in political suicide.

Are you talking about the PC party? They got hammered over abortion and gay marriage a few years ago, those where their most extreme positions and it was almost suicide like you say. The PM (who lead the PC's before the last election) had to oput a gag order on several of his members over those issues.

Monroe wrote:

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:I'm still trying to figure out what the friggin' difference is between liberal and conservative, to be blunt.

I dunno, really. I never gave it much thought to what my leanings are.

Liberals want an Utopian future
Conservatives want a glorified past

I remember an old joke/observation. "A liberal is a conservative who hasn't been robbed."