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Agnosticsherbet

(11,619 posts)

65. Liberalism, as a political philosophy,

Wed Feb 5, 2014, 12:58 AM

Feb 2014

holds as core concepts a belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual. In action it attempts to protect the political and civil liberties of individuals. For liberals government is a crucial instrument for amelioration of social inequities as those involving race, gender, or class. Economically, liberalism is closely associated with free markets and the individual right to own the means of production and private property. Because wealth, itself, is a huge contributor to social inequality, liberals back a strong regulatory control of corporations and banks that, otherwise, subvert governments in order to create a shadow plutocratic oligarchic order.

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What is your definition of liberal? [View all] OmahaBlueDog Feb 2014 OP

I think we should ask Hillary Clinton about the Progressive part as she was the first one VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #1

I heard "Progressive" start being used frequently in '04 OmahaBlueDog Feb 2014 #5

before then! VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #7

Well ...yeah. Henry Wallace ran on the Progressive Populist ticket OmahaBlueDog Feb 2014 #10

Yeah well Progressive was used in the early 1900's too... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #14

Good point democrat2thecore Feb 2014 #9

It was used much earlier than Hillary democrat2thecore Feb 2014 #6

a certain magazine just turned 100 a few years ago hfojvt Feb 2014 #15

Here's a Vonnegut interview from the Progressive that speaks to the subject matter of the thread Bluenorthwest Feb 2014 #90

Figures she would co-opt the term hootinholler Feb 2014 #23

Who decides that? VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #26

How I may or may not vote is big leap to make. hootinholler Feb 2014 #30

Then why beat up on Democrats now? VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #32

Um how exactly am I beating up on Democrats? hootinholler Feb 2014 #34

by saying that you might not even vote for her...even if she wins the primary VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #36

And making things up about what I said is pretty telling as well. hootinholler Feb 2014 #37

Its pretty easy to see.... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #38

I'm not couching anything hootinholler Feb 2014 #39

"poster child for the right wing of the party." VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #40

She was featured prominently on the DLC website hootinholler Feb 2014 #41

So? VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #43

Are you trying to insinuate that I am a teabagger? hootinholler Feb 2014 #45

did I say that? No I didn't ... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #46

ROFLMAO hootinholler Feb 2014 #48

Well you said what you said about Hillary....seemingly as if SHE isn't a force to be reckoned with VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #50

Yes, I believe she will not win the primary hootinholler Feb 2014 #53

So you are expecting something terrible to happen to Hillary? VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #55

Correct, Bernie has principles hootinholler Feb 2014 #60

the nazipoohs hate the term 'right wing' pretzel4gore Feb 2014 #78

Someone who can talk about ideas. oldandhappy Feb 2014 #2

oh, it is a poll. oldandhappy Feb 2014 #3

A Liberal is inclusive, A conservative is exclusive,, orpupilofnature57 Feb 2014 #4

Almost everyone is exclusive of some things PlanetaryOrbit Feb 2014 #92

Most people don't make it an art form . orpupilofnature57 Feb 2014 #93

Liberal: believes in reformed capitalism & the power of the markets to bring social change. Starry Messenger Feb 2014 #8

Hubert Humphrey OmahaBlueDog Feb 2014 #11

^^ this ^^ TBF Feb 2014 #25

Says who? You know this poll had an agenda right? and that some folks ignored it... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #27

lol - you have no need to attack me TBF Feb 2014 #71

On anti-war stuff before 2008, DU definitely trended more left. Starry Messenger Feb 2014 #56

Yes - TBF Feb 2014 #70

Yes...AND Obama has ended ONE and is winding down the other... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #73

This really isn't TBF Feb 2014 #74

but you neglect to take into consideration...DU is NOT representative of Americans in general. VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #75

And I would submit to you that some of those DUers TBF Feb 2014 #80

I agree....the bashing of folks for supporting Democratic candidates on a Democratic forum is the VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #81

Here is the list of those in the Progressive Caucus... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #12

The opposite of Obama bigwillq Feb 2014 #13

That's not what the Republicans think. eom Jamaal510 Feb 2014 #54

I don't care what those fools think. bigwillq Feb 2014 #84

Two types that are somewhat opposite. Springslips Feb 2014 #16

And has this come about by accident? I don't think so. Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #19

Noam Chomsky is NOT a Democrat.... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #28

Party affiliation is completely irrelevant to this topic, and to the larger question of Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #31

No this is about Democratic Underground... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #33

I'm curious... Which of Chomsky's positions do you feel MannyGoldstein Feb 2014 #58

Not sure what Chomsky's position is on this. Springslips Feb 2014 #44

Not a political position, rather a linguistic analysis. Your first reply was essentially what Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #49

Yeepers. Springslips Feb 2014 #57

It would go a long way to stifling their power. Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #69

Nice post. Helps to explain why the verb "liberalize" means to "open up" or "remove restrictions". pampango Feb 2014 #85

It's in my sig line Beearewhyain Feb 2014 #17

The righties have made liberal the definition of a left doc03 Feb 2014 #18

Coincidentally, someone just posted this to my Facebook page Blue_In_AK Feb 2014 #20

+1 nt Earth_First Feb 2014 #22

Liberal vs conservative RobertEarl Feb 2014 #21

we should just stop the pretenses frwrfpos Feb 2014 #24

^^^^^ this is what tthe problem is right here... VanillaRhapsody Feb 2014 #29

It is a big part of what is making DU suck. OmahaBlueDog Feb 2014 #63

I'll repost my definition that was posted on said thread.. Cha Feb 2014 #35

No true Scotsman standards... Lost_Count Feb 2014 #42

A person who 1. has human happiness as their highest goal, and MannyGoldstein Feb 2014 #47

I would assert that Randian Objectivists believe that they make decisions based on evidence. OmahaBlueDog Feb 2014 #64

Liberal has little to do with issues KentuckyWoman Feb 2014 #51

Someone who believes that people are basically good, honest, and hard-working bhikkhu Feb 2014 #52

Oooh. I like! MannyGoldstein Feb 2014 #59

Thanks. bhikkhu Feb 2014 #66

Ten degrees to the left of center... DreamGypsy Feb 2014 #61

Ochs 'self identified' as 'a left social democrat who became an early revolutionary' Bluenorthwest Feb 2014 #89

Correct...at least after the Chicago convention in '68.. DreamGypsy Feb 2014 #91

FDR without the internment camps. Ed Suspicious Feb 2014 #62

Yeah, LBJ without Vietnam Art_from_Ark Feb 2014 #67

Liberalism, as a political philosophy, Agnosticsherbet Feb 2014 #65

Good definition. YoungDemCA Feb 2014 #68

Thanks. Agnosticsherbet Feb 2014 #79

I think that a good definition is impossible, because Liberals care about all sorts of el_bryanto Feb 2014 #72

Someone who sees, fearlessly, that there is enough for all... Orsino Feb 2014 #76

Someone that believes in and follows the "Golden Rule" Bandit Feb 2014 #77

Well... Ohio Joe Feb 2014 #82

I do consider myself a liberal. I have it in my screen name, but labels don't matter to me as liberal_at_heart Feb 2014 #83

I have 2 definitions. LWolf Feb 2014 #86

It's what a conservative calls a progressive. Iggo Feb 2014 #87

A liberal is someone who agrees with me all the time about everything. pampango Feb 2014 #88