Conservative vs Liberal and What it Means in 2016

Whether it is labeled “Conservative” vs “Liberal”, “Right” vs “Left”, “Tory” vs “Labour” or more ambiguously, albeit less accurately, “Republican” vs “Democrat”, it is shorthand for the eternal political struggle of one philosophy versus the other, as it relates to countries which allow partisan divides. History tells us how these determinations have been fluid during the last three centuries where people have had some level of say, more or less, in how their governments function. Political stances which at one time were labeled “Liberal” are now championed by the “Right”, and vice versa, and have been since the mid-twentieth century.

Since the 1960’s, these philosophies, generally speaking, have been static in that there hasn’t been much movement in how we define ourselves, politically. The anti-war, anti-establishment, socialist leanings of the 1960’s, finding root in the political “Left”, still reside in that arena, just as the pro-defense, pro-business, capitalist leanings of the 1960’s, finding root in the political “Right”, still reside in that arena, as well. In short, most who are old enough to have defined themselves as “leftist” in the 1960’s (and were honest enough to do so), would still find refuge in the political left, today. The reverse is equally as true.

What HAS changed is the degree to which the major political parties have shifted their respective “centers” when it comes to where they lie on the political spectrum. The Democratic Party which exists today is much more “leftist” than it was in the 1960’s, while the Republican Party is far less “rightist” today, as compared to where they used to be when Ronald Reagan left office in 1989.

What has ALSO changed is how individuals define themselves in terms of political affiliation, with fewer Americans identifying themselves as “Democrat” or “Republican” than their forebears did a generation ago. A higher percentage of people in the United States, today, classify themselves as “Independent” than ever before- reflecting a growing dismay with political parties, generally, and have given rise to the “anti-candidate”, most notable in the candidacies of Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson and, to a lesser extent, Ted Cruz, all of whom are basing their campaigns on common themes of being “outsiders” to the establishment politicians centered in Washington, DC. Such a trend has also impacted voter participation overall, with a generally downward slide in voter participation since 1960.

So, how does one determine whether they are “conservative” or “liberal” in the lexicon as it is generally used in today’s parlance? Generally speaking, it is this:

A “Conservative” generally advocates the rights of the many over the rights of the few- be they social issues, foreign policy issues, immigration issues, legal issues, and economic issues. The Republican candidate who can best tap into these advocacies will be best suited to encourage their party’s turnout. In short, this will not be Jeb Bush.

A “Liberal” generally advocates the rights of the few over the rights of the many- be they social issues, foreign policy issues, immigration issues, legal issues, and economic issues. The Democratic candidate who can best tap into these advocacies will be best suited to encourage their party’s turnout. In short, this will not be Hillary Clinton.

While Mr. Bush and Ms. Clinton can still win their respective party’s nominations, such nominations will no doubt leave their party’s rank and file “un-plussed” and will encourage either a third-party run, low voter turnout, or both- all of which will generally favor the Democratic nominee over the Republican nominee, as no third party candidate will ever get the requisite 270 electoral votes necessary to win.

Having said this, in such a contingency whereby no candidate is able to amass the 270-vote threshold necessary to win the election will throw the election into the House of Representatives for the Presidency, and into the Senate for the Vice Presidency, with each state’s delegation having one vote apiece, which presumably would elect a Republican, given the current balance of power in those two chambers.

Despite who wins, rest assured that the new President will have an extremely difficult time pulling together a country as divided as is the United States, today. With all of the current challenges Americans face in a fast-changing world, it will require a rare breed, indeed, to successfully lead this country out of quagmire in which we now regrettably find ourselves…all of which can only lead to one question- Just who is crazy enough to want THAT job? …to be continued…

-Drew Nickell, 17 August 2015

© 2015 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved