What's your political orientation?

Discussion in 'Political Discussions' started by thomas_jefferson, Sep 8, 2010.

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Which of the following most closely describe your political orientation?

  1. Left / Liberal

    7 vote(s)
    14.9%
  2. Right / Conservative

    12 vote(s)
    25.5%
  3. Centrist / Moderate

    6 vote(s)
    12.8%
  4. Statist / Big Government

    2 vote(s)
    4.3%
  5. Libertarian / Small Government

    15 vote(s)
    31.9%
  6. Abstain / Apolitical / Other

    5 vote(s)
    10.6%
  1. Just curious.
     
  2. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    Despite what my choice of universities may imply, I'm a left-leaning individual. I'm not hardcore liberal, but I'm left of center.
     
  3. rickyjo

    rickyjo New Member

    Socially strong "liberal" (gov't should stay out of my personal business unless it directly infringes on anther person's rights)
    Economically mild conservative (Gov't should stay out of my economic business as much as is reasonable)

    That boils down to libertarian, I suppose.
     
  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    John 18:36 - "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world.'"
     
  5. Hm... enlighten us to what that means in the context of this conversation? :)
     
  6. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    That's your orientation? Nothing?
     
  7. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    I can hold two opposed ideas in my head and still retain the ability to function. So that rules me out for being a liberal or a conservative.

    "Politics, the last refuge of the shallow"
     
  8. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Oh, I didn't realize that the poll results were private. I voted Abstain/Apolitical/Other.
     
  9. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Left/Liberal
     
  10. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Doublethink!!! :eek:
     
  11. Libertarian! Don't tread on me! Don't even think about it!
     
  12. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    I think I'm somewhere just to the right of Attila the Hun. However, I believe in helping those that cannot help themsleves, and those through no fault of their own, who need help. I believe in small, well trained, well qualified, efficient Government, State's rights, personal responsibility, and term limits. I'm conservative but also believe in live and let live and don't really care what folks do in the privacy of their home. So I'm not sure where that puts me on the scale of options.
     
  13. That puts you closest to libertarian.



    The American Founders created a society based on the belief that human happiness is intimately connected with personal freedom and responsibility. The twin pillars of the system they created were limits on the power of the central government and protection of individual rights. . . .

    A few people, of whom I am one, think that the Founders' insights are as true today as they were two centuries ago. We believe that human happiness requires freedom and that freedom requires limited government.

    Libertarianism is a vision of how people should be able to live their lives-as individuals, striving to realize the best they have within them; together, cooperating for the common good without compulsion. It is a vision of how people may endow their lives with meaning-living according to their deepest beliefs and taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions.


    What It Means to Be a Libertarian by Charles Murray, Broadway Books, 1997
     
  14. thomaskolter

    thomaskolter New Member

    Not sure socially I want the government to stay out of peoples private lives, stay neutral with regards to marriage (I would ban it leaving these to be privae contracts) and let adults be adults (pot smoking ok at 18+ etc.).

    But on the other hand I want the government to assure every American a home, food, clothing, health care and meaningful employment even if part time to free us from wants to a basic level. And using the full power of the government to tax to do this. And keep the nation neutral globally militarily if we are invaded, defending an Embassy or doing humanitarian mercy missions fine other that that unless we are INVADED and I mean threat of conquest foreign entanglements are none of our business. [We have nukes damn it if anyone wants to try they should get those rammed down their throats then turn them on the attacking nation or nations.]

    So not sure whrere I fit in maybe Statist slash Libertarian depending on where we are looking.
     
  15. I'd say you're liberal-centrist.
     
  16. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    I'd say he's liberal/statist/somewhat socialist. (I don't use these terms pejoratively. I have no problem with socialistic elements in government.)
     
  17. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    ok, so lets debate for a moment.

    If you desire entitlement programs, then you will have to have large government (2 million Government employees cannot address all the needs of 300 million) to address, implement, monitor, and award these benefits. You are also abdicating your rights and responsibilities as an indvidual in favor of Government control. Who decides what is "basic"? The Government? If everyone adopts a basic style of living, including a part time job, who do you tax?

    However, if you really desire all of these things in the second paragraph today, then give up the things in the first paragraph and join the military.
     
  18. rickyjo

    rickyjo New Member

    thomaskolter is not statist, liberal even socialist perhaps, but not statist. The acceptance of letting people live in the manner they please (outside of business/economics) is a liberal tendency and the opposite of statism, the desire to have large government for the purpose of significant social programs is also liberal. So I believe this poster is the very definition of liberal.

    Interestingly enough I see the glimmer of some libertarian ideas bouncing around that post with regards to the military, marriage (not the specific solution but the idea), weed, those are championed by only one party in the US today.

    (Yay! 500 posts, it only took about three years)
     
  19. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    The guarantee of jobs, housing, etc. has statist elements to it. But you are correct, he's not "statist" as a whole.
     
  20. rickyjo

    rickyjo New Member

    I think there's a strong distinction between socialist and statist and that the two rarely combine to cover any specific issue. If I understand correctly welfare programs in and of themselves are strictly liberal/socialist. Both socialism and statism are big government but statist is the control of behavior not of economics or social welfare. So Obama (for example) can be accused of having socialist tendencies but it would be more difficult to accuse him of being a statist. George W Bush, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite (regulating behavior more than economics, ergo, conservative statist).

    Perhaps I oversimplify? But that's how I understand the terms.
     

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