2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Clinton: "I feel like my political beliefs are rooted in the conservatism that I was raised with" [View all]Hortensis
(58,785 posts)primary characteristic of liberals. In different eras and different situations, answers that work best may be labeled liberal or conservative, progressive or government-hands-off. Open minds allow people to ignore labels and examine all possible solutions for efficacy, including mixing tools from each into one solution.
A liberal mind also allows one to understand that others can be right in some respects and in some situations even if believed wrong in others. This allows respect for others.
In contrast, a narrow viewpoint and closure to "outside" ideas are primary characteristics not only of conservatives to various degrees, but as we see here on DU strongly characteristic of people with extremist tendencies to the left of liberals and the right of normal conservatives.