I consider myself a moderate Democrat. I support the right of citizens to own guns, think government should be as small as possible, and hate paying taxes.
I think Obama is to the right of me, too. I think we’ve screwed up Gitmo so bad that we need to just free everyone today, and arrest those who committed torture. Obama thinks we need to focus on the future, not dwell on the past, left the military and CIA a bit of wiggle room to get confessions, and still has people jailed.
A small, lean government is important. We need most of what we have, though. Same deal with taxes: I hate paying them, and want them as low as possible. But there’s really not a ton of cruft. And something like 50% goes to the military.
I’m appalled by Obama’s opposition to gay marriage. I think anyone who opposes it must have failed civics: terms like “separation of church and state,” “equal protection of the law,” and “tyranny of the majority” all seem pretty applicable. I consider it a moral issue like letting women vote.
So what I really want to know is… If I’m a moderate Democrat, and Obama’s to my right… What is a conservative?
If you were the least bit more to the right you’d be a Republican. Actually you’d probably a Republican in some states. 🙂 And I might actually be a Democrat in some states.
Other than Gay marriage I am at a loss to think of an area that Obama isn’t clearly on your left. You’re a radical right winger on guns compared to Obama. I think you are to the right of him on taxes. You probably agree with him more than I do on most other issues.
I see myself as a moderate Republican. Very far to the right on some issues – guns, abortion. But to the left on some issues. I’m a little left of center on Gay rights I think. Not happy with the whole idea of it but willing to include the same rights for committed Gay couples as married normal couples. (Saying “normal” rather than “straight” is my right wing rebellion showing through.)
I like low taxes but think there are things that government needs to spend money on – military, infrastructure, education. And the idea that government needs to do more with health care is growing on me in leaps and bounds. I like stem cell research but oppose some methods of “harvesting them.” I could probably go on.
But liberal and conservative make less sense as useful labels all the time.