Political Ideology Definitions

Questions often arise as to what is a liberal? What is a conservative? What does it mean to support the Left? Or the Right? What does a certain political party stand for? Although positions change over time and it's never good to make generalizations about what a certain group thinks, this section tries to clarifies some of the basic ideological definitions. Politicians have a wide range of opinions; thus, any particular leader doesn't necessary fit neatly into these categories.

The original definition of a liberal was someone who advocated change, new philosophies, and new ideas. A conservative was someone who avoided change, instead preferring to stick to the tried and true. In modern times, these definitions have expanded to include a wide set of political beliefs (which are defined below). To be Leftist or agree with the Left political point of view is synonymous with being liberal. To be Rightist or agree with the Right political point of view is synonymous with being conservative. The Left and Right terms were created because political ideology is viewed on a continuum; most people generally hold views somewhere in the middle. For example, if you agree more with liberal ideas, you're considered more Leftist in your thinking. The graphic below illustrates the continuum:

Liberal (Left) <------------------- Moderate (Middle) -------------------> Conservative (Right)

Generally speaking, the Democratic party follows a more liberal platform; the Republican party follows a more conservative platform. The following table summarizes the current ideology of the parties (the links section gives more detail on what each party stands for).

	Liberal (i.e. Left)	Conservative (i.e. Right)
Representative Party	Democrats	Republicans
Business	Increase regulation and worker protection	Ease regulation and keep government out of business
Mexican Border Fence	Do not build the fence	Build the fence
Taxes	Increase taxes	Cut taxes
Abortion	Pro-choice	Pro-life
Social Spending	Increase	Decrease or maintain
Defense Spending	Decrease or maintain	Increase
Immigration	Grant amnesty to illegal aliens; don't build a fence along the Mexican border; allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses; prevent the creation of a national ID card & database to track people in the country.	Prevent amnesty for illegal & driver's licenses for illegal aliens; construct a Mexican border fence; create a national ID card & database to track people in the country.
Death Penalty	Ban	Maintain
Government Size	Increase the government and use more socialistic policies	Reduce the government and use more capitalistic policies
World Peace	Negotiate first and only take military action if sanctioned by the U.N. and other world organizations	Work with world bodies and use negotiation, but take unilateral pre-emptive action if necessary to protect America
Same-Sex Marriage	Legalize	Ban
Affirmative Action	For (i.e. maintain race-based preferences)	Against (i.e. ban race-based preferences)
ANWR Drilling	Prevent the Alaska drilling	Pursue this and other domestic oil sources
Kyoto Treaty	Sign this treaty	Don't sign this treaty
Crime	Protect the rights of the accused first and foremost	Provide maximum punishment and protect the rights of the victim first and foremost
School Vouchers	End the program	Expand the program
Doctor Assisted Suicide	Allow	Prevent
Missile Defense	Scrap this program	Pursue this program
Three Strikes Law	Overturn this law	Maintain and expand these laws
Minimum Wage	Increase	Lower or eliminate altogether
Social Security	Increase age of beginning eligibility (e.g. 68 or 70); increase salary limits subject to tax	Privatize; i.e. allow citizens control over their own money and allow stock investments
Health Care	Make 100 percent government controlled	De-regulate and introduce free market reform
Personal Responsibility	Government needs to protect people from themselves	People should be responsible and be held accountable for their own actions
Malpractice Lawsuits	Do not cap punitive & pain/suffering damage amounts	Cap punitive & pain/suffering damage amounts
Embryonic Stem Cell Research	Use federal funding for the research	Don't use federal funding for the research
Religion	Maintain separation of church and state; prevent faith-based government initiatives	Introduce more religion in schools; allow faith-based government initiatives

Leading Democratic 2012 Presidential Candidates	Leading Republican 2012 Presidential Candidates
Barack Obama	Mitt Romney
Hillary Clinton	Newt Gingrich
	Sarah Palin
	Mike Huckabee
	Tim Pawlenty
	Ron Paul

For a more humorous look at the parties, check out this Democratic-Republican comparison.

"Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least."--Robert Byrne.

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."--Will Rogers

Last Updated: 04/08/2010
Written By: Joe Messerli