Liberal and Conservative

Ask anyone about their basic ideology and they will almost always say either liberal or conservative. Many would argue that the title of this article should be liberal or conservative, in the belief that you cannot be both liberal and conservative - even in disproportionate amounts. However, I think the and is more appropriate. Even if you believe the notion that you cannot be both, there are still people on both sides that need to be able to work together and live in some type of harmony.

I was raised in a family that was very active politically and have memories from an early age of attending political rallies with my Dad. I also have friends, family, and acquaintances that are on both sides of the political party divide. As such, I have spent a lot of time discussing issues with people on all sides of the ideological fence. These days there are very few that will admit to having any inclinations toward the other side of that fence. However, if you talk long enough and about enough issues, you will find that almost everyone has some opinions that will fit with the other side.

I have had people, whose opinion I value highly, say that they are against liberals and everything they stand for. This made me wonder why they would say such a thing. For I know that many of the things that liberals do stand and fight for are very important to these who are denying them. Things like civil liberties, the environment, and caring for the poor - to name just a few. However, as I was questioning why they might make such a statement, I realized that I needed to look at myself as well.

My answer to the question of where I stand ideologically has long been that I am liberal on most issues and conservative on some others. Recently though I have found it much harder to say I am conservative on anything. My opinions on the issues have not changed, but my opinion of what it means to be conservative have. I find myself not wanting to be associated with that term in any way. And it is a shame to feel that way. These terms have come to mean something very different than they should. They have come to illustrate a line in the sand that cannot be crossed instead of a base view of how to look at the issues we need to work on. I have decided that the main problem is with perception. The push has been so hard to redefine each other that most people have the wrong perception of what the other side really does stand for. And at times it becomes very hard to explain in this current world of language wars.

There has been a growing trend for many people identifying themselves with one side or the other to make their choice of who to vote for based on very few issues. Often only one or two. The opposing sides have so misrepresented these issues that many voters are often making a choice based on false information. They make their decision on an issue and vote the way they feel they have to, even though they may disagree with everything else in the party's agenda.

The rhetoric that has been used in the past 10 to 12 years has escalated to the point that most people have very little idea of what is really going on. This has been brought about by both political parties and with the help of the media. Abolishing the Fairness Doctrine in broadcasting has been a huge disservice to our public discourse. While it had flaws, we were far better off with it than we are without it. Now those that lean conservative tend to only listen to conservative stations, read conservative papers, and believe conservative publications and pundits; and those that lean liberal tend to only listen to liberal stations, read liberal papers, and believe liberal publications and pundits. This is not a great way to have an informed citizenry. And if you are paying attention, you know the conservatives and republicans have been buying and consolidating control of the news outlets for the past 20 plus years. While they fuss about the liberal media, they own most of the news outlets and the majority of the broadcasts are conservative.

This ideological difference has been discussed and argued about since before the founding of our great country, and it is likely to continue for years yet to come. This does not have to be as big a dividing line as it is though. I have seen times when both sides could more easily discuss issues in a civil manner and come to a conclusion that is the best compromise for the most people and especially for our country as a whole. Though some issues have always been too important to compromise on.

The last two presidential elections are a tangible indicator of our divide. It is something that we need to address as a country and quit feeding the monster that is dividing us. I don't pretend to think that we will forget our differences and just agree on everything. That isn't how it works. We are meant to have differences and to discuss those and fight for our beliefs. However, we can work together better than we have been.

There is so much talk in all the political discussions about red states and blue states. I completely disagree with this and believe it is an unfair way to characterize our country. If you look at the actual vote, most states are purple as the total vote was only a few points apart either way. I prefer to think of all states as red, white, and blue. We are all Americans. We have different opinions on certain issues, but we all want the best for our country, our state, our community, our friends, and our families. We all believe in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; even when we disagree on the best way to provide that. And we all believe in the sentiment to "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity".

I describe myself as a moderate with liberal leanings. And I like the term liberal better than progressive, even though being a liberal means being progressive. This change in terms makes me wonder if it is being used by some liberals who are afraid to admit they are liberal in the current political climate. And that gives the appearance of trying to avoid the wrong perceptions that are being promoted by the conservatives. These should not be avoided, they should be addressed and corrected.

Let me give you a couple of definitions of the word Liberal that I borrowed from the North Fulton Democrats web site:
1.
a-Not limited to, or by, established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b- Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behaviors of others; broad minded.
2.
a-Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor
b-Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines the word liberal this way: "Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish" and "not bound by orthodox tenets or established forms in political or religious philosophy; independent in opinion; not conservative; friendly to great freedom in the institution or administration of government...." Liberal is also defined as generous, and "implies largeness of spirit in giving, judging, acting, etc."

To continue, here is one of my favorite quotes on this subject:

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal"? If by liberal they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and it's members demonstrate that we are not that kind of liberal. But, if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties - someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad. If that is what they mean by liberal, then I am proud to say I'm a liberal.
John F. Kennedy

Now I realize that this is only an overview of the differences and similarities of the two sides. It is a very simple view of my opinion about where we really are as a country and where we seem to think we are. To fully explain this position will take several more articles giving examples that illustrate more specific positions. However, we must have a starting point - a point that gives us the basis on which we build our positions and explain why we hold those positions. This is one of those starting points.

One last thing to think about. Our founding fathers were liberals. If they had been conservative, we would still be subjects of England. Perhaps a quote from one of those radicals might help you to understand a small portion of this.

"As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality. " George Washington

I do believe that most Americans are actually more moderate in philosophy, and very few truly lie on either extreme of the liberal/conservative continuum. Perhaps you do not agree and believe yourself to be a dyed in the wool conservative. That is your perogative, and I am liberal enough to believe you have the right to your own opinion - even when I disagree with it.

The Basics

This blog was created to give me a place to present my views in a manner that can be read and replied to by anyone interested. It is mainly for my political beliefs, though it will not be limited to that. Our basic beliefs affect our political positions, and so many political realities affect our lives that limiting discussion to only political views would give an incomplete picture. I say our beliefs affect our positions because there are other factors. Those include where we are receiving our information and how reliable we feel it is. Many people do not take the time to thoroughly research issues to determine their position and simply fall into line with whatever their party promotes, or at least with what their favorite leader professes. This is nothing new, but has been carried to new highs in the last few years.

I believe everyone should be involved in the political process. Most are not as interested in it as I am and that is their perogative. It remains important though. We are lucky enough to live in a free country and one that we should be ever vigilant to protect from all threats, whether from without or within. I have often counseled my children to watch what is being done and not just what is being said. There are often vast differences between the two.

I don't know how many people will read this blog or if anyone might choose to respond. You are able to leave comments by name or you can respond anonymously. Either way is fine with me. However, I do request you to be respectful and keep the language clean. I will not use profanity and request that you have enough respect to do the same. I do reserve the right to edit any comments for inappropriate content and to delete those that cross the bounds of decency.

I am happy to discuss my views with those who agree and with those who do not, and have done so for most of my life. My views are strong and deeply held, so I can understand when you feel the same of your own. It is my hope to present my position in a coherent and logical manner. While I may not be able to express all I feel about a subject in a short article, I am willing to answer questions that you may have in order to clarify a position and the reasoning behind it. It is my belief that even with strongly held political differences, we have many more similarities and beliefs in common than have been articulated much in the past 20 years. In other words, we can choose to disagree politically and still maintain a respect and caring for one another as a person.

To give you some idea of where I stand, I will give you a very short idea of my background. I am a Christian and attend a Southern Baptist Church. While I may not always agree with stands the denomination takes, I do always agree with what my Bible has taught me through the Holy Spirit. I believe it is our faith is more important than our denomination. I am a citizen of the United States and very proud to be. I am very patriotic, though I resist the nationalistic approach that so many have exhibited recently. You see bumper stickers that say, "My country, right or wrong". I like the more complete quote from Senator Carl Schurz in an address to the senate in 1872, "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right". I was born in 1953 and have lived in the state of Georgia since that time.

I am a Democrat. I may not always agree with everything the democratic party does, but I do agree with core principles of the party which set the course of our policies. The basic tenets of the Democratic party provide for the equal rights of all people regardless of social or economic status. Our party policies protect the individual and poor first, while creating an environment that encourages creativity, entrepreneurship, and business. There are good people in both parties and there are good ideas on both sides. It is imperative that we learn to work together again for the good of our country as a whole.

There is currently the biggest divide I have ever seen in our country. It is a division that disregards any open discussion, with both sides saying I am right and you are wrong. Many do not want to be confused with facts or any opposing viewpoint. As I said earlier, I have discussed politics most of my life and never have I found a time that so few people were willing to discuss issues and differences as I saw in the election year of 2004. That was disheartening to me, and also has compelled me to become even more active than I have been.

Everyone that has known me for any length of time knows that I keep up with politics. I study it and research the different issues. I do not just like to take someone else's opinion of an issue. I like to find the facts and form my own opinion. There have been people all through my life that have asked me why I didn't run for some office. So far there has been no office that I felt I should run for, though I still freely gave my opinions as I worked with and for those who were running. The experience of 2004 convinced me to become more formally involved however. I am not running for office and do not foresee that, but I am working more formally than before. I am a member of the local Democratic Executive Committee and have helped to establish a website for that. We are now planning activities to prepare for this election year.

This blog is another step in my efforts. It is a way for me to present my opinions and positions where you can read them at your leisure, and hopefully understand them better. Thank you for visiting my site. I look forward to the chance to talk with you and discuss our agreements and our disagreements. We are all in this together.