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My discussion here is based on the following two definitions: 1) Liberals are primarily concerned with human rights, social justice, and economic fairness, and 2) Traditional conservative values include avoiding foreign entanglements (isolationism), fiscal responsibility, and a government that stays out of citizens’ private business (i.e., "small government").
So, let’s have a look at our past Presidents’ accomplishments and policies. Instead of relying on what they say, lets just look at what they did and compare with the above definitions. But first, when it comes to military action, the US has sent it troops abroad over 200 times since 1798. I think that it’s fair to say that it doesn’t matter whether the President is conservative or liberal when it comes to war.
Who was the last truly conservative Republican President?
I say that it was Calvin Coolidge. He reduced the national debt and taxes, and he strove to keep the US out of international conflicts. The next Republican President was Herbert Hoover and he failed to balance the budget – as in the Great Depression.
The next Republican after Hoover was Eisenhower. Eisenhower was a centrist, who supported the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and publicly condemned McCarthy. He balanced the budget and ended the Korean War. But conservatives were unimpressed by him and nominated Goldwater in 1964. And, as we all know, Ike warned us of the encroaching military-industrial-complex.
The next Republican was Nixon, and he was a liberal. He established the EPA, OSHA, the Endangered Species Act, and he imposed wage and price controls. He was outspoken in favor of Affirmative Action and his drug policy included funds for education. I think it’s fair to say that he wouldn’t even qualify as a Democrat today – and this gives us an indication of just how far the entire political spectrum has shifted to the right.
Ford reduced taxes, established special education for handicapped children, and supported the Equal Rights Amendment as well as abortion. Ford’s position was center to liberal.
Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. can all be lumped together I think. They all spent like crazy and loved to invade other nations – from Central America to the Middle East. Bush Jr. stands out because of his positions on torture and spying on American citizens.
How about the Democrats? Who’s been truly liberal?
FDR was certainly liberal; i.e. the New Deal, social security, etc. Truman railed against corporate greed, he settled railway strikes, fought tax cuts for the rich, and supported a national healthcare system as well as civil rights (the "Fair Deal"). He was liberal.
Kennedy created the Peace Corps and supported federal funding increases for education and medicare. Many of the progressive policies he supported were passed after his death. He also supported some tax cuts. Overall he was liberal.
Johnson: Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, "The Great Society"; which included urban renewal, disease control, education advances, fighting poverty, etc. Had it not been for the Vietnam War, LBJ would probably be known as one of our great liberal Presidents, right up there with FDR.
Carter established the department of energy, had solar panels installed on the White House, and gave amnesty to draft-dodgers. But he couldn’t control the growth of the economy, which was low, and the national debt, which was high. He increased social security tax and deregulated the airline, trucking, rail, communications, oil, and finance industries. I think that Carter was taking advice from Corporate America (obviously) and the destructive economic trends that have continued through today began with his administration.
Clinton was a centrist, while taxing the rich on one hand, he supported NAFTA, WTO, the Telecommunications Act, and so-called Welfare Reform on the other.
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Since the massive deregulation initiated by Carter, we’ve experienced, in real dollars, a steady decline in wages, pensions, and public services. And we’ve experienced a steady increase in working hours, tuition, bankruptcies, etc. Basically every economic indicator has worsened for the general population. For example, in the early 50’s corporate income tax receipts were about 30% of total federal tax revenues, but now they are less than 10%.
So what exactly IS my point here?
Many progressives are railing, with just cause, against Obama because he’s moved towards the center. And many are saying that they won’t vote for him because of this.
Listen up. If Obama loses, then McCain wins. This is a fact.
Obama is clearly the most progressive candidate since Kennedy and Johnson (like 40 years), but some would punish the country and its future because Obama isn’t pure enough for them.
This is irrational and even juvenile.
We are not going to fix 30+ years of Neo-Conservative and Centrist administrations overnight.
Who would be more responsive to progressive pressure, Obama or McCain?
One last fact: politics is compromise.
