to label is to mislabel

[rambling man]

Why do we persist in labelling political parties as conservative and liberal in this country?

Republican Party encompasses libertarians, fundamentalists, Log Cabin group, business, so on and so forth...

Democrats encompass a luxury liner full of Baptists of all shapes and sizes, union people (who are usually socially conservative), intellectual liberals, poverty activists, out and out racists, and so on and so forth.

Those don't even begin to describe the multitude of groups calling themselves one or the other.

Hell the British Conservative Party sponsored most of the progressive legislation of the nineteenth century and right now has a group within it calling for pot legalization

Only the small and disciplined Continental parties can be labelled with any accuracy, not the larger ones.

I don't think you could even get consensus on what conservative and liberal really mean......

Finally, some of the finest people I have known in real life have been lawyers, so let's stop trashing them. This nation was founded by lawyers and has been run by them pretty much since the beginning

 

[Closet Desire]

I know...

...I've never been able to make heads or tails out of it.

 

[rambling man]

The reason for that is that the Democrats started as a conservative agrarian landowner minimal government states rights movement, evolved into an anti-black and proletarian party, then finally adopted minorities and social welfare....and the Democrats still have many members who are from each of those groups.

The Republicans began as a Radical anti-slavery party, adopted business and centralized government among its themes, evolved progressive and nationalist wings, as well as both a foreign interventionist and isolationist wing at the same time...it abandoned minorities, but is now picking them up when they enter the middle class. It also has become a major party for libertarian ideals while at the same time being a party with Christian fundamentalists.

And you wonder why American politics can be so fucked up sometimes and why American presidents soimetimes have to talk out of both sides of their mouth, whichever party they are in

 

[rambling man]

forgot to mention that reps also picked up states rights in the 20th century but nowhere near the same form as the 19th century democrats

 

[bluntforcemama]

I move to label myself as "504."

 

[sexy-girl]

my gf is labeled as open with care she can be quite fiesty sometimes

 

[Markov Cain]

Because you are dealing with a sixth-grade level of understanding among the masses who vote.

Things need to be "cartoonized" for lack of a better word. Do you realize, most people still do not know what a Log Cabin Republican is and would be schocked to know that there is such a thing. I mean, the liberal press obviously does not want to let that cat out of the bag since they are the spokespeople for the gay, African American, mentally ill, homeless, party of the unfortunates in life. Not the Republicans.

 

[sexy-girl]

election campaigns were dumbed down over there and over here thats the politicians fault for not wishing to debate some of the more serious issues and dispel some of the labels that partys have

 

[rambling man]

unfortunately, England has adapted some of the more unsavory methods of our campaigning...what was the deal with Labour attacking Margaret Thatcher anyway? Also, it seems like their threat of going back to the Thatcher days might backfire on them, anyway. Seems like Britain has not cut as large a figure on the world stage since she was in charge.
Besides, hasn't she been gone from active politics now for over ten years? The Conservatives need to bring her back like they brought back Winston Churchill in his extreme old age, something to unify their party again, because it's a mess. But they wouldn't because there was a British leader who honestly kicked ass and took names. Going up against her must have made the Valley of the Shadow of Death look like the Smurf Village.

 

[sexy-girl]

its amazing the different view americans have of "maggie" comapred to english people ... im not sure if this is universal view you guys have of her ... i guess in foriegn policys she was powerful and did kick some ass

but the mere mention of her name in election campaigns just reminds people of why not to vote conservative ... she was infact and still is hated (thats not a strong enough word) among most of the english population ... the conservatives made the biggist blunder of there campaign with all the save the pound stuff ... and also when they did there usual trick of wheeling maggie out for the election ... labour's campaign wasnt very good either really but probably because they were never preasured to actually do any serious debating on there policys ... england is still recovering from some of the effects of that era and thats why she is still hated and why conservatives should distant themselves as much as they can from her

 

[rambling man]

I think she may be disliked for the same reason Gorbachev is disliked in Russia

There had to be changes made, socialism in either country could not continue in the same way forever. Both had the courage to make tough choices and to radically change things. Some things helped, some things hurt, but there was no staying the same or going back...
Even now, Labour seems like they have rolled with and accepted the changes that Thatcher pioneered, they are not going back to the old days.
The same thing has happened here, things that Reagan was skewered over by the Dems are part of their doctrinal system now. There was a lot of Reagan that Clinton took in when he was president (balanced budgets, welfare reform, even towards the end, Clinton and Gore were supporting some form of missile defense system), just like there may be a significant amount of Thatcher in Blair. I think that's why Republicans hated Clinton at the beginning, he stole many of their ideas and claimed they were his all along.

 

[YoungGun69]

...... Finally, some of the finest people I have known in real life have been lawyers, so let's stop trashing them. This nation was founded by lawyers and has been run by them pretty much since the beginning

People allways makes lawyer jokes but who is the first person they run to when they get in trouble ....hmmmmm I wonder

 

[Markov Cain]

Not all lawyers are bad! Just the ones here!

That was a joke.

My lawyer was my CO in the Marines. He's cool. He doesn't charge me. But he did make me do mess duty and other nasty stuff, so I guess it was his idea of the pre-pay legal plan.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Hey Marky Mark Off???

Shouldn't you be kickin' something? Training? Hitting some boards or something.

How the hell can you compete all the time - when you obviously are not practicing your trade?