Yes, there are quite a few of us.
I don’t even know what my political ideology is anymore. I used to think I was a progressive, but the new breed of aggressive woke social media activists with their disdain for free speech and desire to end fair procedures like blind auditions if they don’t produce the ‘correct’ diversity mix have thoroughly turned me off. The gender issues that AHunter3 mentioned are a huge sticking point, but I think are also symptomatic of a wider problem.
If it was what divides me from leftists generally, this isn’t exactly a political issue, but I think the science is on the side of a genetic basis for several human traits and behaviours that many on the left seem to prefer to blame on society or upbringing.
British moderate here. Most of my friends are left-wing - my right-wing friends and I parted over Brexit. The last four years I feel I have personally veered to a stronger left-wing stance.
I’m mostly on board with left-wing ideas but I am a firm monarchist and oppose electing the House of Lords or codifying the Constitution.
I think a lot of people try to paint ‘general political ideology’ as much broader than it is. According to Democrats on this board, I’m a bomb-throwing far-leftist because I supported Sanders and absolutely would not have voted for Bloomberg. But I’m massively more moderate than a lot of people I hang out with, some of whom are more on the ‘I’ll vote for Biden because I have to, but there’s going to be a revolution soon’. But I’m also far-right on gun control like others in this thread, I’m fine with background checks but the vast majority of gun laws are there to harass legitimate gun owners, not to prevent crimes or deaths.
I also would definitely not call my self a Democrat even though my last few ballots have been essentially straight ticket (I used to not vote for anyone running unopposed regardless of party, and there are non-partisan elections), and I don’t really understand people like:
I don’t understand why would someone call themselves a ‘Republican’ if they completely disagree with everything the Republicans endorse and do. Your friend does not have any of the values that the Republican party does if that’s what they believe, so calling themselves a name that associates them with what Republicans actually do when they disagree with all of it is bizarre. I’m also not sure that someone can reasonably be called a committed member of the party if they don’t actually vote for that party. And if they do vote for the party, they clearly aren’t voting for the world you described above.
I’m very far left, more so than most on this board. I am decidedly not a liberal.
But I can tolerate a little capitalism.
There are, of course, true believers of every stripe, but I find it hard to stomach the smugness and holier-than-thou attitudes I get from a few of my (fellow) liberal acquaintances (and one friend). For these people there can be no consideration of “on the other hand.” To do so is tantamount to being a traitor and beyond the pale.
I don’t actually self-identify as liberal, partly for that reason. I think of myself as thoughtful instead.
I am strongly left wing. But I absolutely hate PC and the whole idea of political correctness.
I am strongly in favor of strict regulation of business (see, great recession, 2008). But, and here I am almost alone among left wingers, I would end corporate taxes. In return, I would get rid of all the crap in the tax laws that are supposed to compensate for double taxation, tax capital gains at full rate (and get the tax upon death, which is already done in Canada). I would put in very steeply graduated taxes getting up to a marginal rate of at least 70% and collect them from everybody. This would have the effect of making exports cheaper among other things.
I am center-left in the US. However, I am pro-nuclear energy and pro-GMO. Also I don’t think Google, Facebook, or Apple need to be ‘broken up’ (while I definitely favor more regulation on business).
Most of my friend group are far more left than I am, though. So I find myself disagreeing with them a lot (most of them can’t stand Biden, calling him a Republican, but they’ll hold their noses to vote for him - whereas I think he’s a perfectly decent choice).
I identify myself as a moderate fiscal conservative/social liberal. That all by itself makes my point of view incompatible with any political party affiliation.
I’m strongly opposed to government pissing money away willy-nilly, but I also very much believe that the great equalizers in society are fully funded, high quality education and health care. Both of which are big ticket items.
I also believe significant investment in infrastructure is an absolute necessity to maintain a healthy society and that also costs a lot of money. But a lot less than letting the existing infrastructure crumble and fail, and then going back and trying to fix it.
So when I talk to conservatives, they look at me like I’m a crazy person and when I talk to liberals, they think I’m too stingy. So for the last few elections, I have wound up with a ballot in front of me that features a list of choices that are all bad options for me. Not much fun.
No, Sanders is more of a progressive, not that far lefty.
Yep, I concur. Their semi-monopolies are due to a better business model and product.
I’m another very liberal person who agrees with the previous posters about nuclear energy.
Yes, Democrats on this board consistently talk about Sanders as a far-left radical, and people who supported Sanders in 2016 or 2020 as extreme leftists. “Not All Democrats”, but I didn’t say “All”.
Yes, if anybody wants to describe the Dope as a hive-mind, the way Bernie supporters are treated by a relatively sizable group of active Dopers should put that characterization to bed…
You could also examine the behavior of some Bernie supporters on this site to better understand the issue.
There’s a lot to like about Bernie. I gave serious consideration to voting for him in the primary. However, there was a faction here (and elsewhere I’m sure) that just couldn’t stomach anyone on the left support candidates like Pete, Amy, or Joe.
I like Bernie Sanders, the man, but unlike most of my friends, I do not believe he was electable against Donald Trump or really anyone. I think that his IDEAS are electable. But they need to be sold to the voters as something other than “socialism.” The biggest problem with organized American socialism is simply its failure to rebrand itself. The policies they want to enact would make America a better country in so many ways, but they will always be a pipe dream if they have the label “socialism” associated with them.
(This is my response not just to the post above but to the question of the thread.)
What Spice_Weasel said sums up my position nicely. Throw in my support for nuclear energy and you know what… Dammit, I’m okay with American hegemony in the world. Not because I think American society is superior to all the rest. It sure as fuck isn’t, as many of us are constantly reminded since 2016. But I think it’s far better than the alternatives like China or Russia. And let’s face it, the jury is out on whatever it is the EU is trying to be.
I agree that lefties are wrong on economics (I think righties also are, but in different ways). Wholly agree about slashing the corporate tax rate and making up the difference with higher marginal personal income tax rates. If we do that, then corporations will have more money to reinvest, but decreased incentives to funnel it back into executives’ pockets. That should translate to more jobs and growth. That’s how successful European countries do it.
So I only need to incorporate myself then pay zero tax? Sign me up!
As a moderate liberal, the closest thing I can think of policy-wise is that we should recognize that we need to raise taxes on everyone to tackle the debt, even if that isn’t going to happen in the next few years. It’s just simple math. Partisan politics-wise, I also think we need to be less forgiving, fight harder, and try to compromise less, because compromise isn’t going to happen so why bother trying? But the goals I want to accomplish with this aren’t very lefty.
I used to be to the right of moderate liberals on immigration, in that they liked to ignore it. But I’m in agreement with Obama’s handling of immigration versus those both on his left and right.