originally published 9/30/2021
What’s in a name? Sometimes we are given labels that don’t accurately describe us. Sometimes those labels carry stereotypes and prejudices that can interfere with understanding and cooperation. Likewise, we sometimes allow labels to cloud our own vision when we are seeking the truth about other people.
The term Conservative is not the same as “Republican,” and Liberal does not necessarily mean “Democrat.” As we discussed in the section about why we are spit into two different parties, there are things that can cause us to affiliate with one party when our natural inclinations would ally us with the other. If we think beyond party affiliations, we can better appreciate individual differences and concentrate on political issues.
The Republican Party previously branded itself as the party of tradition (The “Grand Old Party,” GOP). It tended to be more patriarchal, nationalistic, pro-business, and pro-military. (Mooney, 2012) Republicans have also claimed to be more fiscally responsible (although they tend to generate more debt through military spending and insufficient tax revenue). (Aronoff, 2020) Aside from the increased federal debt, The GOP appeals to Conservatives.
The Democratic Party favors labor and the underprivileged over business and the elites. They promote government intervention for society’s ills, and the redistribution of wealth to reduce poverty. (democrats.org)
There are other reasons to join one or the other party, however. Many issues, or at least aspects of them, do no fit neatly into one or the other party’s platform. Single issues such as gun control, defense, taxation, or abortion may cause some people to vote for 1 party when their personalities would otherwise cause them to vote for the other.
Social circumstances may also compel someone to join a party, against their liberal or conservative natures. If a person lives in a Republican dominated community, for example, they may be pressed to toe the Republican line, or lose social or business contacts.
Some people don’t know the political details of the party that they are voting for. They are swayed by the party’s advertising, or the general impression they have, rather than by that party’s policies. They may even vote according to how their friends and family vote.
The parties themselves can change their orientation. It’s hard for us to imagine today that the Republican Party was once very progressive. Republican president Theodore Roosevelt’s (1901-1909) “square deal” included:
Consumer Protection—a federal law for inspection of meat packing plants,
Conservation—protected 230 million acres, converted to public land, and
Control of corporations—he brought suits against monopolies, sided with striking coal miners, and threatened mine owners with federal troops if they didn’t improve workers’ wages and hours. (Elliott)
More recently, the Republican Party has taken a hard turn toward a pro-business, anti-government populism, starting with Ronald Reagan in 1981 (“Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.”). (Amadeo, 2020) It has culminated with Donald Trump, whose policies and statements are so extreme that many Republican politicians oppose him. (Drutman, 2020) Conservatives have remained loyal to the party because they tend to be loyal by nature (Mooney, 2012), and that they don’t have a viable alternative that is compatible with their values. Moreover, people tend to change their views to conform with their party. (Drutman, 2020)
You might be surprised to learn that 14% of the Democrats are conservative, and that another 38% are moderate. True “Liberals” make up less than half of the party. (Gilberstadt, 2020)
So, we should be careful to think of “conservative” and “liberal” as terms that describe our personalities and values, and not necessarily our political party choice.
There is a lot of rage and rancor between the parties, but those of us in the middle of the political spectrum, be we left or right of center, can move beyond that and educate ourselves about both sides of the issues.
References:
Amadeo, Kimberly. What Is Laissez-Faire Economic Theory? Laissez-Faire Economic Theory Explained. Updated October 28, 2020 accessed 5/4/21. https://www.thebalance.com/laissez-faire-definition-4159781
Aronoff, Kate. Republicans preach fiscal conservatism, yet they always find money for war. 1/7/2020. Accessed 5/2/21 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/07/republicans-climate-crisis-wars-spending
democrats.org Building A Stronger, Fairer Economy. Accessed 5/6/21. https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/building-a-stronger-fairer-economy/
Drutman, Lee. Why There Are So Few Moderate Republicans Left, And why that’s not likely to change. Aug. 24, 2020 accessed 5/4/21. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-there-are-so-few-moderate-republicans-left/
Elliott, Kimberly Kutz. The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. accessed 5/4/21. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/age-of-empire/a/the-presidency-of-theodore-roosevelt
Gilberstadt, Hannah and Daniller , Andrew. Liberals make up the largest share of Democratic voters, but their growth has slowed in recent years January 17, 2020 accessed 5/4/21. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/17/liberals-make-up-largest-share-of-democratic-voters/
Mooney, Chris. 2012. The Republican Brain. The Science of Why They Deny Science—and Reality. John Wiley & Sons.