Left V. Liberal

There is a disconnect in US politics, where we think Liberal means Left. If you were to look at the history of US politics in a vacuum, it would be easy to think Liberal ideologies are on the Left half of the political spectrum because historically the US has been Right-leaning.

The founders of this country were mostly upper-class slave owners who colonized occupied land. This country was build by and for conservative, wealthy, white, Christian men, and to a degree, their white, Christian wives. (Sorry white women, we don’t get a free pass here.) A little later on we see genocidal maniacs, like Andrew Jackson, shaping the US government. Abraham Lincoln was even problematic, although US history text books would lead us to believe otherwise. He wrote:

My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy Slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. 

A LETTER FROM PRESIDENT LINCOLN.; Reply to Horace Greeley. Slavery and the Union The Restoration of the Union the Paramount Object. August 24, 1862.

In modern history, Republicans are the “Conservative” political party and the Democrats are the “Liberal” party. The two are positioned opposite each other, creating an illusion in which Republican and Democrat are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The two extremes – Conservative versus Progressive, Right versus Left, etc. Thus, “Republican” and “Conservative” became synonymous with the Right, and “Democrat” and “Liberal” because synonymous with the Left.

In reality, both parties are Right of center. If we compare the dictionary definitions of Liberalism and a Leftist position like Communism, it is easy to see that Liberalism sits to the Right. Both of the following definitions are over-simplified, but the core of each ideology is visibly different. Liberalism is individualistic, focused on economic gain, and emphasizes tolerance of nonviolent opposition – things the Left does not prioritize. Communism, like most Left-leaning philosophies, is community-centric, pro collective control, and de-emphasizes individual power. (Honestly, the dictionary definition of Communism is rather inaccurate.)

Liberalism: a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

Dictionary.com.

Communism: a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

Dictionary.com.

In addition to the very definition of Liberalism being pretty much opposite of most Leftists ideals, the history of Liberal Democratic policy in the US further demonstrates its Right-leaning nature. Since the 1970s, socially conservative and neo-liberal policies have been enacted by Republicans and Democrats alike. For example, Nixon started the infamous War on Drugs in 1971, which was continued by every subsequent president. If you do not believe this, click here for a quick and easy to understand synopsis of the War on Drugs. Democratic Golden Boy, Jimmy Carter was president when Asset Forfeiture was introduced. And Fan Favorite, Bill Clinton pushed for Mandatory Minimum Sentencing in 1995. Even Barrack Obama maintained the War on Drugs by pushing to deport undocumented immigrants with minor drug convictions.

The War on Drugs is just one of many examples where Liberal policies have been rather Right-wing. You can also look at the immigration policies, housing policies and urban development, justice system legislation, and foreign policies enacted by the Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations to find a very conservative trend. In May of 1979, Carter approved CIA support of the mujaheddin in Afghanistan, and we know how that turned out. In 1994, Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control Act, also known as “The Crime Bill.” You know, the notorious bill that increased policing and incarceration rates in Black and Brown communities. And Obama enacted immigration policies that prioritized fast deportation, leading to little to no legal representation and asylum seekers being deported more often than not. Additionally, the current state of this country should be a testament to the increasingly Right-wing trajectory of our politics. The truth is, the Liberal policies of US Democrats over the past five decades only appear Left of center in relation to the even more conservative policies of Republicans.

My concern is not that Liberals exist, but that Liberals are mistaken for progressive leftists. I worry the general response to an increasingly Right-wing Republican party seems to be a Rightward shift of the Democratic party, as well, and then redefining the “Center.” It bothers me that centrist politicians like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are dubbed “Far Left” candidates. And it disturbs me that valid Left positions are painted as “too extreme.”