There is a difference. In the US, liberal has come to be about as meaningless as ‘fascist’, used more as a political insult than any real characterization of underlying principles. Liberal generally speaking means a political view that wishes to restrict the state’s ability to regulate individuals, with classical liberals particularly emphasizing markets and economic freedoms. In that sense, the American usage all but inverts it.
In American political parlance, liberal has come to mean anything short of Marxism (and maybe includes that), people who wish to use the state to regulate all aspects of life to dictate more egalitarian outcomes. Social democrats and socialists all fall into the blanket term liberal, but it also includes most moderate centrists at this point who see a role for the state in anything but military and foreign policy. From the Reagan era, ‘liberal’ picked up everything including your Centre Right.
Well, it’s always been confusing as social liberals and economic liberals tend to straddle the left/right divide. In fact, Trump’s protectionist tendencies are on collision course with the free-market liberalism of many of his supporters.
Anyway, radical liberal still sounds strange to British ears.
Liberal and Conservative both have meanings in standard poli sci settings, but neither is even close to how they are used in modern US politics. From around FDR up until the current Trump realignment it was a fairly simple left vs right distinction - collective vs individual, government vs no/small government.
For generations Liberal was used a sneering pejorative by Republicans and was an accusation Democrats ran away from. Today we see a lot more willingness from many of the left to own it. What Trump would now call an extreme liberal is someone who would still reject the term, but that’s because those leftists fucking hate liberals for being pussies not fighting hard enough for the cause and too willing to compromise. What conservative means in the modern US context with the way things have shifted on the right is really anyone’s guess and is a term that really should be thrown away
Early on when I moved here I learned that the language used around politics is not what I was used to back home. It’s almost meaningless, and whatever you say has pejorative connotations to whole segments of the population.
If ever I am discussing politics with someone - a rare occurrence nowadays, as it is so heated - I just have to go issue by issue and talk about what I stand for and think should happen.
It’s okay for people to have different opinions, ShadesOfRed. You’ll be fine big guy. Trust me, there’s multiple things I don’t like about Trump and JDV.
It’s very unsettling to read that Peter Thiel is and has been bank rolling JD Vance pretty much throughout his whole career. Then you start to hear what all companies Thiel is involved with, mainly Palantir.
Every politician should be required to wear sponsor patches on their suit jackets like NASCAR, that way we all know who they really support and get bank rolled by.
I’m 6’ 3”, born and raised in South Chicago. I would say I am far from little. I seen and be part of stuff your little white ass couldn’t faithom. If you think you’re such a tough guy, come on over here for a little bit. Exactly. You’re just a keyboard wizard. Probably an overweight male, divorced and driving for Uber.
I never said I was the ENTIRE black community. I don’t need Biden to tell me I ain’t black if I don’t vote for him in 2020. I don’t need Joy Reid spewing the same BS for Kamala.
Not bullshit when she was 30 and had an affair with Willie Brown when he was 60. He was the most powerful democrat in California at the same. He gave her jobs she was not qualified for. I believe she was around 400K a year back then, which is 800K these days. Not sexist at all. I love women. I guess I should hate the game, not the player. Fair play to her.
He appinted her to two minor courts, courts she was more than qualified for since she was working as the assistant DA for Alameda County when their relationship started. I’d like to see your evidence that she was not qualified (also this is a funny attack for a MAGA guy to level at someone - given that Trump nominated many, many highly unqualified men and women to judicial offices on the basis that they shared his ideas on politics).
Their relationship is not a secret, both have spoken about it publically. They split in 1995 and she first ran for public office in 2003, to become San Francisco DA. I guess she was horribly unqualified for it though because she went on to become California DA from 2011 to 2017.
You say you love women but you’re just regurgitating misogynistic bullshit, an attack of “sleeping your way to the top” that only ever gets levelled at women. Trump appointed his own kids, and his son-in-law, to senior government positions but that doesn’t bother you?
Getting appointed to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board during a one year relationship with a state politician - clearly that woman is sleeping her way to the top and will not get my vote, 30 years later, after proving how unqualified she was by erm… rising to the top of her profession on her own merits. “Knee pads”, of course.
Getting born into incredible wealth, then using that position to eventually run for President and appointing your own children to your companies boards and political offices, packing the Supreme Court (and thousands of minor court judges) with loyalists, some of whom where demonstrably unqualified? Well that’s all fine I see no problem there.
