>>Being "liberal" is, to me anyway, a good quality EXCEPT when admitted in the U.S. because the right-wing there have subverted the term to mean, by their yard-stick, a small step above a marriage-minded homosexual child molester.
>>It is worse than it was to call someone a communist in the MacCarthy era or to call someone a racist in the 60s - 80s.
>
>Thanks. One more question - obviously, I have not followed U.S. politics too closely! By "right-wing", from the context I would guess you mean the current ruling party - Republicans. Is this correct?

Hilmar;

Political terms seem to change definitions for a number of reasons. At one time in this country the term Right meant Fascist. Left meant Communist. Then the terms took on different meanings. Right became Conservative and Left became Liberal.

Some would have you believe that all Democrats are Liberal and that all Republicans are Conservative. That is not true. Our present political atmosphere would have you believe that Right is Moral and Left is Immoral. This concept is propagated by our Media.

If you pound something into the head of the individual long enough then it becomes true.

At one time Democrats were Conservative and when the Republican Party was established it was Liberal. Republicans were the political party that was against slavery and for equality, which Democrats opposed.

When our Civil War was over the majority of the Southern States became Democratic. Around 1947 President Harry Truman integrated the United States Military – all branches! Southerners protested and joined the Republican party and were called “Dixiecrats”. Dixiecrats opposed Civil Rights and a number of other social issues.

Today the Republican party is known as Conservative and the Democratic party Liberal.

The difference in parties is in the platform they embrace. Even when the Party Line insists upon one approach you will find politicians who do what they want. Governor Jerry Brown was a Democratic Governor of California and was reelected even though he did things that were in disagreement with the Democratic Party. Our present Governator has the same reputation. :)


Tom