I am a lefty and don’t think it’s that extreme at all. On domestic policy, I think conservatives see the power of the free market, and at times - much like some Marxists in a different way - think that it handles everything perfectly. If one isn’t successful, one is lazy or unworthy by some other standards. In my view, their wisdom is needed as brakes to keep us liberals from going off the deep end. But think of what you have when you go to work: a 40-hour week, minimum wage, safety standards, protection from discrimination, unemployment insurance, workers comp, plus SS and Medicare waiting for you afterwards. All of these that humanized the workplace came from the liberal impulse and tho supported by some conservatives, were opposed by more. The twentieth century was a triumph of domestic liberalism. Who would trade working conditions in 1900 for those today? In international affairs, both liberals and conservatives opposed the Soviet empire, but many conservatives supported fascist-like governments in Latin America due to their misunderstanding of popular movements, though Vietnam was a bipartisan disaster. Reagan is given credit for the collapse of the Soviets, but Russians I knew gave thanks for Carter’s even-handed human rights policy as a factor as well. Conservatives seem to like unilateral exercise of US power without adhering to international standards, in my view because it allowed us to go one on one with Grenada. Liberals place some faith in international institutions, which gets them flack from the right but support internationally. Empires like ours have tend to act arrogantly, deluding themselves about their intentions, which often are admittedly at least partly noble. The reason I am on the left is that I believe liberals represent a balance between naive faith in the free market and naive faith that the government can solve everything, plus distrust of blind patriotism. Conservatives are a necessary, healthy part of the political mix, but tho liberal vigilance is necessary to preserve progressive gains over several generations, history, as Bill Buckley said years ago, is moving against the right.
Apologies for the rant. Second glass of wine.
