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Can liberals and conservatives coexist?

Ocean City

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With current partisan differences and animosities that are almost as potent as they were in the late 1850s, can liberals and conservatives happily coexist? Are the ideologies just too far separated now? Liberals want more government intervention in business, universal health care, non-interventionist foreign policy and little government control over peoples personal lives. Conservatives want the exact opposite: no government intervention in business, private health care, aggressive foreign policy, and government intervention into peoples personal lives such as restricting gay marriage, abortion, medical marijuana (and buying alcohol on Sundays in the South). Is there really any room for compromise in these issues? Or does compromise just leave everyone equally unhappy? For example, would conservatives be satisfied with compromise on health care reform? No. They are adamant that they don't want any further government intervention in the health care system. Would liberals be satisfied with compromise on gay rights? No, they are adamant that they want complete equal rights for gays.

So what is the solution? Do we all have to live unsatisfied or should the United States be separated into two countries, one with a liberal-socialist, European style government and the other with a conservative-capitalist style? Could this ever happen? Hypothetically, if this did happen, would you be willing to move to another part of the country to live under a government of your liking.

(Note: This thread is meant to be an honest analysis, please don't rant about who's ideologies are better or what group is "whacko" or "crazy" or "out of touch", or what style of government is "doomed". Please focus on the actual issue of how these two ideologies can co-exist, and what can be done about it if they can't.)
 

TheGirlNextDoor

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Well for starters, you're definitions of what each "side" represents is a tad narrow. There are plenty of people who claim to be liberals that aren't in favor of say - gay marriage. There are also conservatives that don't hold strong to no government intervention ... and those are but small examples of how your generalizations are too broad sweeping.

To separate people into two countries as you suggest, would take away our status of being a republic and turn it into more of a society that embraces communism.
 

haymarket

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Can liberals and conservatives coexist? as compared to what??? progressives and libertarians????

much easier. Much much easier.
 

obvious Child

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One merely needs to look overseas. Britain's current coalition government is made of a coalition of Conservative and Liberal parties. But Cameron and Clegg together seem like a very odd couple.
 

Goobieman

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Liberals want more government intervention in business, universal health care, non-interventionist foreign policy and little government control over peoples personal lives.
This is what they like to think - but its just not so.
Liberals are all about choice - so long as they like the choice you make. If they dont, they want restrict that choice in whatever way they can.
Choose Cars, guns, schools, words, religions or uses of property they don't like and they look to pass a law or take something to court.
 
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Elutherian

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As long as there is government, these disagreements will seperate us.
 

Goshin

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With current partisan differences and animosities that are almost as potent as they were in the late 1850s, can liberals and conservatives happily coexist? Are the ideologies just too far separated now? Liberals want more government intervention in business, universal health care, non-interventionist foreign policy and little government control over peoples personal lives. Conservatives want the exact opposite: no government intervention in business, private health care, aggressive foreign policy, and government intervention into peoples personal lives such as restricting gay marriage, abortion, medical marijuana (and buying alcohol on Sundays in the South). Is there really any room for compromise in these issues? Or does compromise just leave everyone equally unhappy? For example, would conservatives be satisfied with compromise on health care reform? No. They are adamant that they don't want any further government intervention in the health care system. Would liberals be satisfied with compromise on gay rights? No, they are adamant that they want complete equal rights for gays.

So what is the solution? Do we all have to live unsatisfied or should the United States be separated into two countries, one with a liberal-socialist, European style government and the other with a conservative-capitalist style? Could this ever happen? Hypothetically, if this did happen, would you be willing to move to another part of the country to live under a government of your liking.

(Note: This thread is meant to be an honest analysis, please don't rant about who's ideologies are better or what group is "whacko" or "crazy" or "out of touch", or what style of government is "doomed". Please focus on the actual issue of how these two ideologies can co-exist, and what can be done about it if they can't.)


I've brought this up before. At times the acrimony and divide between libs and conservatives seems so wide that it is easy to think that we'd get on better in two seperate nations.

It probably isn't feasible, though.

At any rate, Progressotopia would probably collapse within 40 years... because most of the best producers, innovators and enterpreneurs would quickly move to Conservatopia, and then who would Progressotopia tax to pay for all that socialism? :mrgreen:
 

Lord Tammerlain

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This is what they like to think - but its just not so.
Liberals are all about choice - so long as they like the choice you make. If they dont, they want restrict that choice in whatever way they can.
Choose Cars, guns, schools, words, religions or uses of property they don't like and they look to pass a law or take something to court.

What you are describing are statists

You have social conservatives who want the government to enforce morals, and you have liberal interventionists who want the government to help prevent people from doing what they percieve as harmfull to themselves

Sometimes they overlap in regards to media (violent or overtly sexual video games, movies or music). For example I would have though Tipper Gore was a member of the Moral Majority back in the 90s

Then you have the fiscal conservatives who want small government but are not concerned about government enforcing personal morals, and social libertarians who like the government to be a back stop to help those who are down and out, but allow for a wide level of individual freedom
 
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samsmart

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This is what they like to think - but its just not so.
Liberals are all about choice - so long as they like the choice you make. If they dont, they want restrict that choice in whatever way they can.
Choose Cars, guns, schools, words, religions or uses of property they don't like and they look to pass a law or take something to court.

Kinda like how conservatives are with regards to pornography, sexual orientation, science, words, religions, or uses of birth control they don't like?
 

Teh Internets

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We'll all agree when we get confronted by some terrible threat/tragedy again. During 9/11 everyone was an American and the differences didn't matter much. Then after that wore off we just got back to fighting.
It's sad but true.
 

TurtleDude

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As long as there is government, these disagreements will seperate us.

as long as there are those who earn wealth and those who think they are entitled to it because they exist in the same area as the earner there will be disagreements
 

Goobieman

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Kinda like how conservatives are with regards to pornography, sexual orientation, science, words, religions, or uses of birth control they don't like?
Conservatives dont bill themselves as being the defenders of "choice".
 

TurtleDude

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So how do the bill themselves. As defenders of "no-choice"?

NOpe, its the left that hates most choice. and since I am pro abortion and have no issue with gay marriage and I consistently pro choice
 

CaptainCourtesy

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NOpe, its the left that hates most choice. and since I am pro abortion and have no issue with gay marriage and I consistently pro choice

Hmmm... I am pro-choice and have no issue with gay marriage... and am liberal. I guess painting things as black and white doesn't work too well, does it? ;)
 

TurtleDude

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Hmmm... I am pro-choice and have no issue with gay marriage... and am liberal. I guess painting things as black and white doesn't work too well, does it? ;)

sometimes there are black and white sides, sometimes shades of gray

and many generalizations have some accuracy.
 

CaptainCourtesy

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sometimes there are black and white sides, sometimes shades of gray

and many generalizations have some accuracy.

Most of the time, with most people, there are shades of gray. Generalizations have some accuracy, but only incrimentally. For them to have complete accuracy, there would need to be an absolute.
 

soccerboy22

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Sure they can. In fact in my poli sci classes we have liberals and conservatives and we are able to have reasonable discussions. It is when you throw in the partisan hacks that makes it difficult to deal with others.
 

Deuce

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NOpe, its the left that hates most choice. and since I am pro abortion and have no issue with gay marriage and I consistently pro choice

If you think being pro-choice and pro-gay marriage is typical conservative, I don't know what to say.
 

Aunt Spiker

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With current partisan differences and animosities that are almost as potent as they were in the late 1850s, can liberals and conservatives happily coexist? Are the ideologies just too far separated now? Liberals want more government intervention in business, universal health care, non-interventionist foreign policy and little government control over peoples personal lives. Conservatives want the exact opposite: no government intervention in business, private health care, aggressive foreign policy, and government intervention into peoples personal lives such as restricting gay marriage, abortion, medical marijuana (and buying alcohol on Sundays in the South). Is there really any room for compromise in these issues? Or does compromise just leave everyone equally unhappy? For example, would conservatives be satisfied with compromise on health care reform? No. They are adamant that they don't want any further government intervention in the health care system. Would liberals be satisfied with compromise on gay rights? No, they are adamant that they want complete equal rights for gays.

So what is the solution? Do we all have to live unsatisfied or should the United States be separated into two countries, one with a liberal-socialist, European style government and the other with a conservative-capitalist style? Could this ever happen? Hypothetically, if this did happen, would you be willing to move to another part of the country to live under a government of your liking.

(Note: This thread is meant to be an honest analysis, please don't rant about who's ideologies are better or what group is "whacko" or "crazy" or "out of touch", or what style of government is "doomed". Please focus on the actual issue of how these two ideologies can co-exist, and what can be done about it if they can't.)

My parents are complete opposite - but meet in the middle.

It's not so much about 'what do you believe in!' - it's about 'how you respect the other person's beliefs'
 

FederalRepublic

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With current partisan differences and animosities that are almost as potent as they were in the late 1850s, can liberals and conservatives happily coexist? Are the ideologies just too far separated now? Liberals want more government intervention in business, universal health care, non-interventionist foreign policy and little government control over peoples personal lives. Conservatives want the exact opposite: no government intervention in business, private health care, aggressive foreign policy, and government intervention into peoples personal lives such as restricting gay marriage, abortion, medical marijuana (and buying alcohol on Sundays in the South). Is there really any room for compromise in these issues? Or does compromise just leave everyone equally unhappy? For example, would conservatives be satisfied with compromise on health care reform? No. They are adamant that they don't want any further government intervention in the health care system. Would liberals be satisfied with compromise on gay rights? No, they are adamant that they want complete equal rights for gays.

So what is the solution? Do we all have to live unsatisfied or should the United States be separated into two countries, one with a liberal-socialist, European style government and the other with a conservative-capitalist style? Could this ever happen? Hypothetically, if this did happen, would you be willing to move to another part of the country to live under a government of your liking.

(Note: This thread is meant to be an honest analysis, please don't rant about who's ideologies are better or what group is "whacko" or "crazy" or "out of touch", or what style of government is "doomed". Please focus on the actual issue of how these two ideologies can co-exist, and what can be done about it if they can't.)

No, I don't really think so. The good news is we already have a system set up to remedy the problem in that we have states that could be as liberal or conservative as they choose. The bad news is that liberals are not content with that (and to a certain, but I believe lesser, extent so are some conservatives).
 

Paschendale

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We most certainly can coexist. So long as we can both reach reasonable and non-extremist conclusions based on unfiltered facts, we can coexist. Intelligent and educated people tend to strive for moderation, and they know the whole picture. Those who chant slogans usually don't. There are most certainly people on both sides with logical and intelligent ideas, and those ideas are likely compatible. Those who Argue over whose leader is more or less like Hitler need to remove themselves from the conversation.

Then we can all get along.
 

Psychoclown

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Sure we can. The ties that bind us are far deeper than the ones that seperate us. Sometimes it's easy to think the other side is from another planet, especially if you spend most of your time debating some of the extreme partisans around here, but really whether you're conservative, liberal, or even libertarian, we all share the same values of being a land governed by the rule of law, of everyone having equality before the law, of freedom of expression, of a government for the people, of the people and by the people, and of pursuing justice to the best of the our ability.

Even in areas where we disagree, such as debates about what's moral or what's fair, we still all agree that those concepts matter. It's just a matter of different interpretations and priorities.
 

Barbbtx

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Oddly enough liberal and conservatives coexist and work side by side everyday all over the country.

Some even live in the same house and share the same bed. If not that, they more than likely eat Thanksgiving dinner together.

Dividing the country in half? :no:
 
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