Liberal or conservative -- which are we? The short answer is, no one knows.
For all the talk we hear about red states vs. blue states or
how many more registered democrats than republicans there are, my take is that
the issue is spun by both sides to buttress their respective claims to
political ascendancy.
So, how is it that we don’t know? After all, isn’t it just a matter of counting
heads?
Not really. “…putting
all things in American politics onto a single, one-dimensional, liberal or
conservative scale is misleading at best and wholly inadequate at worst.”
(nullbull.gnn.tv, 1 Mar. 2007) “When you
shove opinions about abortion, animal rights, big business, big government, the
death penalty, foreign policy, gay rights, gun control, homelessness,
immigration, labor unions, logging, Medicare, military power, national
security, patriotism, property rights, race, taxation, the Ten Commandments in
courthouses, voting machines, and welfare under one umbrella, something’s not
going to fit.” (writersbbs.com, Liberal Vs.
Conservative)
Looking at the U.S. through a conservative vs. liberal prism
reveals the following:
Mixed
positions on issues
Those who are counted among the left and right often have
mixed positions on various issues. For
example, many conservatives who oppose abortion may tend to be more liberal
when it comes to social policies, such as education or health care.
Registered
democrats and republicans
In the 2004 elections, “an estimated 201.5 million U.S.
citizens age 18 or over will be eligible to vote ... of these about 55 million
are registered republicans. About 72
million (are) registered democrats.”
Approximately 27.3 percent are republican, 35.7 percent democrat, 37.0
percent are not registered. However,
party affiliation notwithstanding, President Bush won the election by three
million votes, which doesn’t necessarily mean that the 62 million people who
voted for Bush are conservative. In addition, the so-called “Blue Dog
Democrats” in the South have traditionally been more conservative on various
issues than many republicans, particularly those from the more liberal states,
such as New York or Massachusetts.
Blue
states, red states
The distinction between the so-called red and blue states is
not clearly delineated. “The
county-by-county and district-by-district maps reveal that the true nature of
the divide is between urban areas and inner suburbs on the one hand and outer
suburbs and rural areas on the other.
Even in ‘solidly blue’ states, the majority of voters in rural counties
and a slight majority in suburban areas voted for Bush … and even in ‘solidly
red’ states, a majority of those in urban counties ... voted for John Kerry.”
(Wikipedia: Red States and Blue States)
Fiscal
responsibility
Not all conservatives are fiscally responsible, nor are all
liberals fiscally irresponsible, in spite of their respective rhetoric, so this
issue can hardly be considered the basis for judging whether America is more
conservative or liberal. The current
republican administration has been one of the biggest spending parties in
history, to the great displeasure of most conservatives.
Immigration
Until recently, the current republican administration advocated
a “liberal” policy toward illegal immigration, that is, until they adjusted
their policy, at least ostensibly. But,
it was not until a major grassroots campaign was mounted by “the people” that
Congress was forced to change its position.
There are a host of other issues, including the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars, and many conservatives have now adopted the liberal position
in opposition, all of which further illustrates the difficulty of trying to
determine with any degree of certainty whether the U.S. is more conservative or
more liberal.
©
2007 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved