Ever since the founding of our country in 1776, political
leaders have struggled to create government policies that would please the
majority. The problem is that no matter how hard a government body tries to
create a law that suits everyone, there will always be those who oppose it.
This is due to the fact that we all have different ideas of what’s best for our
country. These ideas, when clumped together, create a political ideology. More
specifically, a political ideology can be defined as a system of beliefs people
have about the purpose and magnitude of the government. In modern times we
generally recognize three major political ideologies that hold weight in society,
these being conservative, liberal, and moderate.
When we
hear the term ‘conservative’ most of us think of traditional values, small
government, and most importantly the Republican Party. But what does being
conservative really mean? In general conservatives believe that a smaller government
with less bureaucracy is more beneficial to the country. They believe that the
less the government interferes with social liberties, the more freedom the
people have. Political conservatives should not be mistaken for social
conservatives, who firmly grasp onto traditional moral values and believe that
the government should actively stem social progress.
Liberals,
on the other hand, constitute the opposite side of the political spectrum.
Liberals generally believe that large government involvement in the economy and
social services is necessary to maintain a healthy country. Liberals are
usually socially progressive and support the funding of social welfare programs
in order to help the disadvantaged. Like conservatives, liberals believe that
the government should not infringe on personal rights and liberties.
Lastly
we have moderates. When someone identifies themselves as moderate, it does not
mean that they are neutral or indifferent to an issue. Rather, a moderate is
one who holds views that fall in the center of the political spectrum.
Moderates should not be mistaken for ‘Independents’. There are many independent
parties that hold conservative or liberal views. Also, just because someone
does not affiliate themselves with the Republican or Democratic parties, does
not mean that they are moderates.
In order to better understand the
current political climate in the U.S., it is helpful to analyze the general
trend of the population. According to the most recent Gallup poll (http://www.gallup.com/poll/152021/conservatives-remain-largest-ideological-group.aspx),
40% of Americans identify themselves as conservative, 35% identify themselves as
moderate, and 21% identify themselves as liberal. So if liberals make up the
smallest percentage of the American public, then why do we have a president
from the Democratic Party? The answer is simple, party affiliation does not
necessarily correlate with political ideology. Contrary to popular belief, it
is possible to be a liberal Republican or a conservative Democrat. Furthermore,
people often have different views of what it actually means to be conservative,
moderate, or liberal. This should all be taken into account when studying
politics. The clash of political ideologies is what shaped the U.S. and it will
continue to be a driving force in the political arena.
- Political Pimp
