As Btwn LIB & CON, What R They and To Which Do U Tend

The right-left axis aligns an astonishing bunch of beliefs that seem to have not much in common. If you find out that someone supports a robust military, chances are she’s also in favor of a judicial restraint. Someone who believes in a minimal role for government is a good bet to support capital punishment. If someone is a secularist with a tolerance for homosexuality, he’s probably also an environmentalist in favor of maintaining or enhancing welfare programs. A military hawk is more likely to discourage promiscuity than a pacifist.

Why should someone’s military leaning predict their attitudes about sex? It generally does. The meanings of the words serve as no guide. Marxists in the USSR and its aftermath were called conservatives. Reagan and Thatcher were called revolutionaries. Liberals are liberal about fooling around but not about lax business practices. Conservatives seek to conserve communities and traditions but keep hands off the free market system that can subvert them.

Most contemporary liberals and conservatives cannot articlulate the cores of their belief systems.

That’s exactly what smart politicians are trying to instill in thier constituents. Ignorance. That’s why people don’t know the core of their beliefs. It’s good for those in power to keep things loosely defined so they can switch sides and keep up with the majority of voters. It’s bad for voters who want to be able to predict what their leaders are going to do.