Definition of a Liberal? Multiple Choice Poll:

A Liberal is someone who:

  • A. criticizes conservatives for making God their government but instead makes Government their god

    Votes: 5 45.5%
  • B. yells about 'separation of church and state' while establishing their own beliefs through govt

    Votes: 6 54.5%
  • C. rejects Christmas and prayer; but includes gay pride and same sex marriage for cultural diversity

    Votes: 6 54.5%
  • D. claims to believe in "choice" but mandates that everyone buy insurance or face tax penalties

    Votes: 6 54.5%
  • E. believes law-abiding citizens should pay more than inmates convicted of crimes costing people

    Votes: 5 45.5%
  • F. Other?

    Votes: 5 45.5%
  • G. will not find any of this funny: http://www.usmessageboard.com/posts/13218692/

    Votes: 5 45.5%

  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .

emilynghiem

Constitutionalist / Universalist
Jan 21, 2010
23,669
4,178
290
National Freedmen's Town District
Define a Liberal: Someone who
A. criticizes conservatives for making "God their government," but instead makes "Government their god"
B. yells about 'separation of church and state' while establishing their own beliefs through govt
C. believes Christmas and prayer should be "excluded" from public institutions;
but gay pride parades and same sex marriage should be "included" for cultural diversity
D. claims to believe in "choice" but mandates that everyone buy insurance or face tax penalties;
i.e., believes in penalizing the "choice not to buy insurance," but NOT penalizing the "choice of abortion"
E. believes in govt targeting and penalizing taxpayers for making more money (who haven't committed any crimes) but not charging prison inmates convicted of crimes that put people in the hospital at public expense
F. Other?
G. will not find any of this funny: Oregon Patriots Decline Escort Out of Town
 
Last edited:
None of the above, not even nearly. And you can't write a definition off a random example anyway. That's not how definitions work.

A Liberal believes political power derives from the People. Government, where it's necessary, acts as a sort of referee and when it's not needed, gets out of the way. Basically the opposite of Authoritarianism, which Liberalism opposes. Liberalism rose to take power away from the First and Second Estates, those being the Church and the Aristocracy, the until-then dominant system based on a hierarchy. Liberalism opposes that sort of top-down approach.

Liberalism is passive government rather than active. My usual go-to example: to declare "all men are created equal" is Liberalism, but that's as far as it extends; to then use government to force the statistics to reflect that through Affirmative Action is a step beyond Liberalism.
 
Yin and Yang

Liberal and Conservative

Mutually dependent
 
I just happened to google what I just wrote and here is something I found:

Let's use the example of labor and business. How could anyone argue with the value that all employees should be treated fairly and have a safe workplace? Likewise, could any reasonable person dispute the right of business owners to be competitive in the marketplace and get a fair return on their risks and investments?

Liberals believe that strong labor unions are the best way to safeguard workers' rights. But conservatives are nearly united in opposing unions, which they see as a threat to management control and profitability. This seemingly intractable standoff could be resolved with the thoughtful implementation of these complementary opposites.
My view: Liberals, conservatives need each other
 
Define a Liberal: Someone who
A. criticizes conservatives for making "God their government," but instead makes "Government their god"
B. yells about 'separation of church and state' while establishing their own beliefs through govt
C. believes Christmas and prayer should be "excluded" from public institutions;
but gay pride parades and same sex marriage should be "included" for cultural diversity
D. claims to believe in "choice" but mandates that everyone buy insurance or face tax penalties;
i.e., believes in penalizing the "choice not to buy insurance," but NOT penalizing the "choice of abortion"
E. believes in govt targeting and penalizing taxpayers for making more money (who haven't committed any crimes) but not charging prison inmates convicted of crimes that put people in the hospital at public expense
F. Other?
G. will not find any of this funny: Oregon Patriots Decline Escort Out of Town
You seemed smart enough not to go there, but, you went there...
 
Liberals are pragmatists, they predicate their policy positions on facts, evidence, what's demonstrated to work, and what is consistent with the Constitution and its case law.

Liberals are not ideologues, they don't adhere blindly to some sanctioned political doctrine or dogma, they reject the superficial and simplistic, seeking instead to research the facts and discover the truth; liberals understand that there are no quick, easy, or simple 'solutions' to the problems society must address.

Liberals pursue sound, responsible governance and public policy, correctly understanding that 'government' is neither the problem nor the only solution, but that government can play a positive role in the lives of Americans, that the Constitution authorizes government to engage in necessary and proper regulatory activity, and that government works best when in partnership with the private sector.

Liberals are advocates and defenders of diversity, dissent, and expressions of individual liberty; they embrace change, inclusion, and vigorous public discourse and debate; they reject unwarranted government intrusion into citizens' personal, private lives, they seek to defend the people's right to privacy, right to due process, and right to equal protection of the law.

Liberals correctly understand that although inalienable, our rights are not absolute, they are subject to reasonable restrictions by government in accordance with the Constitution and its case law, and as authorized by the Constitution, consistent with the original intent and understanding of the Framers.

Liberals created our Constitutional Republic, whose citizens are subject solely to the rule of law, not men – as men are incapable of ruling justly; it is the rule of law that liberals respect and defend, it is the rule of law that safeguards our freedom and liberties, and it is that rule of law which makes America a truly great Nation and Americans a truly great people.

This is the sole definition of a liberal.
 
I guess when the construct of the OP is taken into account liberals are supposed to be the opposite of conservatives. So perhaps liberals can be defined by what they are not:

Conservatives are afraid of change.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative."
sauce
 
I just happened to google what I just wrote and here is something I found:

Let's use the example of labor and business. How could anyone argue with the value that all employees should be treated fairly and have a safe workplace? Likewise, could any reasonable person dispute the right of business owners to be competitive in the marketplace and get a fair return on their risks and investments?

Liberals believe that strong labor unions are the best way to safeguard workers' rights. But conservatives are nearly united in opposing unions, which they see as a threat to management control and profitability. This seemingly intractable standoff could be resolved with the thoughtful implementation of these complementary opposites.
My view: Liberals, conservatives need each other

No. Conservatives believe that unions have destroyed this country by help chasing jobs overseas and promoting automation which puts more Americans out of work. In the union days when they were strong, they FORCED industry to pay people excellent money and benefits to do monkey jobs.

When those monkey jobs left, the average worker found themselves in their middle-ages with a family and bills to pay. Because they made great money during the time, they didn't do anything to get into a trade or learn a skill. The only talent they had was turning nuts onto bolts or inspecting parts or something. They were screwed.

It's the same reason we are against huge minimum wage hikes. Nobody should have a career making french fries half of their life. If you pay people enough money, they will not try to better themselves. As long as they are comfortable with the income they have, they (like union workers) will never try to reach for the stars.
 
None of the above, not even nearly. And you can't write a definition off a random example anyway. That's not how definitions work.

A Liberal believes political power derives from the People. Government, where it's necessary, acts as a sort of referee and when it's not needed, gets out of the way. Basically the opposite of Authoritarianism, which Liberalism opposes. Liberalism rose to take power away from the First and Second Estates, those being the Church and the Aristocracy, the until-then dominant system based on a hierarchy. Liberalism opposes that sort of top-down approach.

Liberalism is passive government rather than active. My usual go-to example: to declare "all men are created equal" is Liberalism, but that's as far as it extends; to then use government to force the statistics to reflect that through Affirmative Action is a step beyond Liberalism.

All men are created equal is not liberalism, that is conservatism.

Liberalism is believing government can make all people equal.
 
Define a Liberal: Someone who
A. criticizes conservatives for making "God their government," but instead makes "Government their god"
B. yells about 'separation of church and state' while establishing their own beliefs through govt
C. believes Christmas and prayer should be "excluded" from public institutions;
but gay pride parades and same sex marriage should be "included" for cultural diversity
D. claims to believe in "choice" but mandates that everyone buy insurance or face tax penalties;
i.e., believes in penalizing the "choice not to buy insurance," but NOT penalizing the "choice of abortion"
E. believes in govt targeting and penalizing taxpayers for making more money (who haven't committed any crimes) but not charging prison inmates convicted of crimes that put people in the hospital at public expense
F. Other?
G. will not find any of this funny: Oregon Patriots Decline Escort Out of Town

poor nutty emily.

you should probably put this trash in the flame zone next time where it belongs.
 
Define a Liberal: Someone who
A. criticizes conservatives for making "God their government," but instead makes "Government their god"
B. yells about 'separation of church and state' while establishing their own beliefs through govt
C. believes Christmas and prayer should be "excluded" from public institutions;
but gay pride parades and same sex marriage should be "included" for cultural diversity
D. claims to believe in "choice" but mandates that everyone buy insurance or face tax penalties;
i.e., believes in penalizing the "choice not to buy insurance," but NOT penalizing the "choice of abortion"
E. believes in govt targeting and penalizing taxpayers for making more money (who haven't committed any crimes) but not charging prison inmates convicted of crimes that put people in the hospital at public expense
F. Other?
G. will not find any of this funny: Oregon Patriots Decline Escort Out of Town
There's no such thing as a liberal anymore, if they are, they have to vote 3rd party and dems have gone openly socialist.
 
I just happened to google what I just wrote and here is something I found:

Let's use the example of labor and business. How could anyone argue with the value that all employees should be treated fairly and have a safe workplace? Likewise, could any reasonable person dispute the right of business owners to be competitive in the marketplace and get a fair return on their risks and investments?

Liberals believe that strong labor unions are the best way to safeguard workers' rights. But conservatives are nearly united in opposing unions, which they see as a threat to management control and profitability. This seemingly intractable standoff could be resolved with the thoughtful implementation of these complementary opposites.
My view: Liberals, conservatives need each other
cons are against public sector unions and forced participation in the private sector.


but if you want to see the end result of our warnings about unions, look at Detroit
 
Liberalism involves the understanding of the principles involved, and I have run into precious few who do.

Bill Maher is a liberal. All the useful idiots who defend Islamism aren't.

I'd say I run into one Bill Maher on the net for every 100 useful idiots.
 

Forum List

Back
Top