What is it with this 'Liberal' thing?

[ravells]

This is a serious question and not a troll.

I don't understand why amongst many of the U.S. posters on these boards the word 'liberal' provokes frothing at the mouth and is used as a derogatory term.  The dictionary definition of liberal is:

noun:   a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties

noun:   a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets
 
adjective:   having political or social views favoring reform and progress

adjective:   tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition

adjective:   showing or characterized by broad-mindedness

In the UK, that is pretty much what the word means. Is there some popular definition in the US of the word 'liberal' which means something else? What am I missing here?

Thanks in advance

Ravs

[NUKE]

Ravels, to get a definition of an American liberal, take all your listed definitions and add " except when they don't conform to our views" at the end of each one.

Basically the Democratic party are considered "liberal" and most profess an open mind......as long as you agree with them.

A liberal in America has become defined by their actions, not the definition of the term.

[rpm]

Originally posted by ravells
What am I missing here?

Look up Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy . The Republicans have just evolved to the next level of hate.

[NUKE]

A good example of the Democrats ( Liberals) tolerence and open mindedness is going on right now.

The Liberals are blocking 4  judicial nominees from even having a vote for nomination, simply because these nominees do not conform to their views on religeon and abortion in their private lives.  Real open minded of them.

The sad fact is that several VERY competent nominees, many minorities ( Libs supposedly for the minorities rights), have been blocked from a vote by a minority of Democrats......not because they are not qualified, but because they dont share the Liberal views on abortion and religeon.

Ted Kennedy, the bigest liberal of them all just had this to say about the latest, VERY qualified and respected  nominees:

Kennedy told the Senate, "What has not ended is the resolution and the determination of the members of the United States Senate to continue to resist any Neanderthal that is nominated by this president of the United States for any court, federal court in the United States

http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2003/11/14/182203.shtml


That somes up their attitude pretty much: block ANYTHING that they dissagree with. Hardly open minded or tolerant

[ravells]

Ah OK. So it's a word used in a party political sense and not in its wider sense?

Ravs

[NUKE]

exactly

[Karnak]

NUKE,

Nice distortion.

The Republicans blocked all but 9 of Clinton's judicial nominees. Even the outright moderates.   In comparison the Democrats confirmed 85 for Reagan and 85 for Bush Sr.

Now that 4 radical nominees are being blocked by the Democrats the Republicans are crying foul and whining to the Supreme Court to rule it unconstitutional.

The definition of Conservative in  America is "Blind, hating and hypicritical in the extreme".

[Tarmac]

Funny how they're complete opposites on different sides of the pond.  When I was over there, it confused everyone pretty good when the locals and the Americans would start getting into political pub discussions.

[NUKE]

Originally posted by Karnak
NUKE,

Nice distortion.

The Republicans blocked all but 9 of Clinton's judicial nominees. Even the outright moderates.   In comparison the Democrats confirmed 85 for Reagan and 85 for Bush Sr.

Now that 4 radical nominees are being blocked by the Democrats the Republicans are crying foul and whining to the Supreme Court to rule it unconstitutional.

In what way are they "radical"?

Ted Kennedy called them "Neaderthals", can you give an example of them being radical? I thought Liberals had open minds and were tolerent of others views?

I see nothing but very qualified people being denied a vote by a minority of hateful liberals for the sole reason that they do not fit the "liberal" mold on abortion views and religeon.

[Holden McGroin]

Originally posted by Karnak
Now that 4 radical nominees are being blocked by the Democrats the Republicans are crying foul...

One Radical Nominee: Janice Rogers Brown

Brown wrote the sole dissent in People v. McKay, 27 Cal.4th 601 (2002). In this Fourth Amendment case, defendant McKay sought to exclude evidence of drug possession that was discovered after he was stopped for riding his bicycle the wrong way on a residential street. The majority ruled against McKay and found the evidence admissible. Brown's dissent begins by noting that we must be extremely careful about giving the state the awesome privilege of search and seizure.

She believes in limiting search and seizure!

In Kasky v. Nike Inc., 27 Cal.4th 939 (2002), now before the Supreme Court, defendant Nike Inc. challenged the application of a California law prohibiting false or misleading advertising as a violation of Nike's free speech rights.  In her dissent, Justice Brown disagrees with the majority's test for commercial speech because it focuses on the identity of the speaker and the intended audience rather than the content of the speech.

 

She believes in free speech!

In Kasler v. Lockyer, 23 Cal.4th 472 (2000), Brown, writing for the majority, upheld California's Assault Weapons Ban, but only over equal protection, separation of powers, and due process objections, not against a Second Amendment challenge. However, she does emphasize that the California constitution contains no fundamental right to bear arms; indeed, she points out that the regulation of firearms has always been a proper police function of California. Evident in Kasler, as in American Academy of Pediatrics, is Brown's strong principle of judicial deference to legislative findings.

She believes in gun control!

Yep, pretty radical....and the demos oppose her?  who's hypocritical?

[airguard]

Liberal vs conservative.

Good for democraty, both side watch eachother trying to keep each side of not  beeing to much extreme.

the old weightstang principle.

But in here there is a little to many of the conservative, and the liberals get spanked.
But then again this is just a silly o`club forum tough, doesnt matter much.

[ravells]

I have a feeling whether appointments are approved or blocked has less to do with what the candidate stands for and more to do with 'horse trading' carried out in corridors and back rooms...

'I'll vote for your candidate if you...'

That's how this sort of politics usually works.

Ravs

[Nilsen]

Comming from norway, i dont even have a clue as to what a liberal realy is. Sounds like a bad word tho. Why is a democrat any better?

Are liberals kinda leftist in its policies and democrats on the right side, or what?

How many political partys are there in the US? just 2?

[ravells]

In terms of the political spectrum of the US, UK and Norway, Norway is virtually socialist in its social policy (and doesn't seem to have suffered unduly for it).

So a liberal would be right wing in your part of the world I guess..

Ravs

[Nilsen]

That cant be right..can it?

That would mean that all those "pro iraq folks" on this board are liberals....but still they bash the liberals?

In Norway the "pro US, pro iraq war" side is on the far right side of our political system, and those on the left side are against it.