Does Hugo Chavez make our "liberal" Dem's look not so "liberal" after all?

[NNN0LHI]

[sandnsea]

1. No Democrats are leftists

Even Bernie Sanders isn't a leftist. Don't know what's so complicated about that.

[K-W]

11. im curious what definiton of left, or leftist you use eom

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Agreed. Bernie was a Socialist. That's pretty left.. and why I like him

[Massacure]

19. Lemme show you a little graphic

Go to this site and click on U.S. Election 2004 at the bottom of the right hand menu.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

[K-W]

23. I dont personally subscribe to political compasses labels.

I think there is value to thier analysis, but I think it is misleading considering the historical roots of the left/right destinction.

It should be left/right, anarchist/statist.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. Other:

I want to buy a fur coat for Hugo Chavez so he can take his kids to a fancy restaurant.

Ah, and I want the above to be written into an episode of Fat Actress.

[Toucano]

3. There are liberal Dems?

C'mon! That's an old wives' tale, like Big Foot or The Loch Ness monster.

[Team44Car]

4. Seems most of them could take a lesson from Hugo

now that you mention it

[applegrove]

5. What is with the new term "liberal Dems"? We are all Liberal. Trust

me - I know. I am Canadian.

I didn't get the memo.

We are Liberals. And Liberal is our word. It means all of us Dems. And I don't go for being cut up into smaller & smaller groups.

Liberals are Democrats. That is all I am saying.

[TahitiNut]

6. America's body politic had a "leftectomy" 25 years ago.

We need a transplant. Any donors out there?

[Tom Joad]

7. Dem officeholders may be "liberal"... but oppose liberation

Probably most of them would kill Chavez if they were President.

Kennedy was not squeamish about ordering Castro's assassination.

Wasn't it Madeline Albright who thought the death of thousands and thousands of Iraqi children was "worth it".

[mike_c]

8. viva Chavez!

eom

[shance]

9. I don't see Chavez as liberal or conservative. I see him as a leader.

I would imagine there are individuals who would like to try and categorize and pin a label on him, but I believe his behavior and abilities have nothing to do with any group label, he's doing what every citizen on the planet should be doing. He's trying to be fair and take everyones needs into the highest consideration.

That in my opinion is the true definition of leadership.

I don't believe it has anything to do with liberal or conservative.

I do believe his leadership ability has everything to do with authentic, bonafied maturity.

[Poppyseedman]

10. Hugo Chavez is a Socialist not a liberal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

[Disturbed]

12. Liberals believe that the Capitalist System can be

reformed. Socialists believe that the Capitalist System should be abolished.

Liberal Accomplishments


Social Security;

Medicare-Medicaid;

PeaceCorps;

unemployment insurance;

welfare (for the poor andcorporate);

civil rights;

student grant and loan programs;

safety laws (OSHA);

environmental laws;

prevailing wagelaws;

right to collective bargaining (which brought about

paid medical insurance, paid vacations, pensions, etc.);

workers' compensation;

Marshall Plan;

flood-disasterinsurance;

School Lunch Program;

women's rights.

Fair Labor Standards Act, which
established a minimum wage, instituted child labor laws,
and set up time-and-a-half pay for over a 40-hour week.

FHA-HUD with its public housing, urban
renewal and 44 million residential homes (before WWII
almost 70 percent of our nation were renters; by the 1970s
this had been reversed).

farm-conservation
subsidies -- USDA programs,

Farmers Home Administration (the
bankers didn't want to make rural loans),

small flood-control lakes (more than 3,000 in Oklahoma alone),
rural water districts, rural electricity (REA).

The GI Bill was passed, which the Republicans at the
time bitterly opposed.

FDIC and FSLIC, insuring their deposits, and
saved Wall Street with the establishment of the Securities
Exchange Commission.

[Poppyseedman]

15. Nice list of accomplishments

but is Chavez a liberal or a socialist in your mind?

[madokie]

20. In my mind Chavez is a MAN of his PEOPLE

You put the tag where it makes "YOU" feel better.

[Poppyseedman]

26. How I feel has nothing to do with it

You put the tag where it makes "YOU" feel better.

How many times have we been deceived by politicians when they "Label" themselves as something they are not to receive our financial and voting support

Words mean things. Companies get sued for false advertising. Politicians should be true to their beliefs.

[K-W]

16. Political definitions are tricky.

and certainly not so definate. Its important to remember that at different points in history groups with a diversity of philosophies have used the term liberal.

In the end most philosophies on the left trace thier roots and particularly thier goals to classical liberalism.

[arcos]

13. The USA is the only place in the world where liberalism is left wing...

Chávez is obviously not a liberal, he's a socialist.

[Minstrel Boy]

14. He shows most of them to be neoliberals. n/t

[LittleClarkie]

17. It would seem that Mr. Chavez it a bit farther to the left than "liberal"

The farther left you go, the more we look like Republicans. It all depends on where you're standing.

[donheld]

21. No he just makes our Democrats look ballless.

Which they are.

[LittleClarkie]

22. (looks down) Gee, I never did have balls

But he could make me look titless if he likes.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

24. A breast is a terrible thing to waste.

:evilgrin:

[redqueen]

25. Boy howdy...

Viva Chavez! :D

[Moderator]

27. Locking,

We want to be consistent that discussion about Chavez and his policies are about Chavez and his policies. Thanks.