What are the goals and objectives of American liberalism?

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by James Cessna, Jul 6, 2011.

  1. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    Here is an excellent discussion of the goals and objectives of American liberalism.

    Today, Democrats, in pursuit of their "punish the wealthy" agenda, are fighting to keep blacks and other minorities poor, angry and voting for Democrats. Examples of how egregiously Democrats act to keep blacks in poverty are numerous.

    "Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven were two liberal activists who were critical of the public welfare system, and their strategy called for overloading that system to force a different set of policies to address poverty. They stated that many Americans who were eligible for welfare were not receiving benefits, and that a welfare enrollment drive would strain local budgets, precipitating a crisis at the state and local levels that would be a wake-up call for the federal government, particularly the Democratic Party, thus forcing it to implement a national solution to poverty."

    Democrats have been running our inner-cities for the past 30 to 40 years, and blacks are still complaining about the same problems. More than $7 trillion dollars have been spent on poverty programs since Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty with little, if any, impact on poverty. Diabolically, every election cycle, Democrats blame Republicans for the deplorable conditions in the inner-cities, then incite blacks to cast a protest vote against Republicans.

    In order to break the Democrats' stranglehold on the black vote and free black Americans from the Democrat Party's economic plantation, we must shed the light of truth on the Democrats. We must demonstrate that the Democrat Party policies of socialism and dependency on government handouts offer the pathway to poverty, while Republican Party principles of hard work, personal responsibility, getting a good education and ownership of homes and small businesses offer the pathway to prosperity.

     
  2. Joe Six-pack

    Joe Six-pack Banned

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    It might be important to qualify that question:

    Modern Democrat liberalism =/= classical American Revolution liberalism.
     
  3. kilgram

    kilgram New Member

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    The liberalism(classical) is dead. Never will return. More than anything, is an ideology surpassed by others, and I am sure that many liberals of that period nowadays would be anarchist, some kind of collective anarchist.
     
  4. Joe Six-pack

    Joe Six-pack Banned

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    Ideas, unlike people, don't die.

    Energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed.
     
  5. kilgram

    kilgram New Member

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    It is. The ideas transformed in others more advanced :p And the most advanced is... the utopia. HAHA
     
  6. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    You are mistaken, JSP.

    These foolish ideas ended up on the 'trash heap" of history!


    .......... [​IMG]

    "Official seal of certifiable truth" ... and we should also add, "Enormous national debt!" A failed relic of the past! How many millions of people did Joseph Stalin have to slaughter to force people to accept the foolish and discredited teachings of Marx and Engels?
     
  7. Joe Six-pack

    Joe Six-pack Banned

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    You are entitled to your erroneous opinion on that subject. Go back and read what I said, there is a difference between the two ideas.
     
  8. SiliconMagician

    SiliconMagician Banned

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    The Goals and Objectives of American Leftwing ideology is quite clear.

    Create the closest approximation to a European-style parliamentary Social Democracy that the Constitution will allow.

    California is currently the vanguard.
     
  9. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    you are very correct.

    This is another goal of American Leftwing ideology.

    "The ultimate objective of this strategy—to wipe out poverty by establishing a guaranteed annual income—will be questioned by some. Because the ideal of individual social and economic mobility has deep roots, even activists seem reluctant to call for national programs to eliminate poverty by the outright redistribution of income."

    In other words, the Left wants to pay people not to work. This tactic is rampamt in the inner cities of Dertoit and Chicago where Obama has served as a community organizer.

    The Obama Stash of Stimulus Cash -- Dolla Dolla Bills, Y'all!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19v5Kjmc8FI&feature=related
     
  10. Landru Guide Us

    Landru Guide Us Banned

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    I stopped reading after this silly Tea Party meme.

    Progressives work for a more just and democratic society, with higher living standards and education for everybody, not just the rich and powerful.

    Ooooo, that hurts Tea Party sensibilities, with their hatred of education and their eternal use of scapegoating of "welfare queens" to explain their lack of success in life.
     
  11. SiliconMagician

    SiliconMagician Banned

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    So you admit then that your ideological goal is the creation of an American Social Democracy then correct?
     
  12. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    You are funny, Landru Guide Us!

    Even Obama has come to the conclusion your ideas are goofy!

    [​IMG]

    Obama schmoozes with very wealthy bankers and potential donors. This event took place at a $35,800-a-plate dinner with Wall Street executives in a posh Manhattan restaurant. Could this seriously undercut the image he has tried so carefully to craft? Here is the greatest authoritarian and one of the phoniest and most insincere presidents we have ever had!
     
  13. Landru Guide Us

    Landru Guide Us Banned

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    So you admit that you're incapable of discussing issues in an intelligent manner, but rather think this is an interrogation where people admit things and you get to spew Tea party labels.

    But as to your pitiful attempt at extracting admissions, since I doubt you understand what Social Democracy is, I can't say what you mean by the above bloviation.
     
  14. Sooner28

    Sooner28 New Member

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    As an American 21st century liberal, I'm not against Capitalism. I think Capitalism can work fine as long as there is regulation to protect consumers (see recent financial crisis, oil spill, and west virginia mining disaster as examples of a lack of regulation or regulation that was not enforced) and employees. I would like to see strong labor unions in order to ensure people are paid decent wages and are not treated badly by management. I would also like higher education to be covered for those who cannot afford it and want to attend. I want a universal health care system so everyone has access and no one gets left behind. Recently my sister has accumulated about 3,000 dollars in medical bills, and this is with insurance! I think the criminal justice system should focus more on rehabilitation(when a person could conceivably re-enter society, so this would exclude things such as child rape and serial killers) rather than a weird thirst for punishment. I also want the environment protected, with things such as clean water and air. Basically something along these lines would be my objectives.
     
  15. Landru Guide Us

    Landru Guide Us Banned

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    You aren't funny, so I have at least one more virtue than you.
     
  16. Agent Zero

    Agent Zero New Member

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    I don't see the point of even asking the question, as the OP has already come up with its own conclusion.
     
  17. Landru Guide Us

    Landru Guide Us Banned

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    Maybe that's why California is the 7th largest economy on the planet making rightwing states like Alabama look like the third world in comparison.

    Progressive policies work; conservatism is a vast failure.

    Thanks for providing ANOTHER example of why conservatism is doomed. All it produces in Paris Hilton's chihuahua.
     
  18. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    Once again, you are very mistaken.

    Check this out. Califormia is in big trouble!

    "One speaker from California shook his head in wonder: "You can have the most liberated lifestyle on the planet, but if you can't afford to put gas in your car or a roof over your head it's somewhat limited."

    Why is California the worst state for job and business growth; Texas the best state?

     
  19. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    I have a right to my conclusions just as you have a right to your conclusions.

    In your educated opinion, Agent Zero, what are the goals and objectives of American liberalism?

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Agent Zero

    Agent Zero New Member

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    In short (and I'll generalize here), they want a different way to deal with our country's deficit (not just cut spending everywhere), more oversight over the banking and investment industries, health care that is available to everyone, an energy plan for the future and not just for right now, gay rights, etc., etc.
     
  21. Joe Six-pack

    Joe Six-pack Banned

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    Being a "bad" idea and being a "dead" idea are two completely different concepts.
     
  22. armor99

    armor99 New Member

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    You know.... it is a great question really. And the thing of it is when asked of liberals themselves, rarely do you get an answer. Or it will ramble on for quite a while with many buzz words used, but not really come to anything resembling a point. I actually think there is a good reason for this. I do not think they really have a plan, or a goal, or an endgame per say... at all.

    Liberalism they say (and I would agree) is basically a doctrine that relys on emotion, rather than facts or logic. For a liberal minded person... the answer to a question is already known, and the facts if used at all... are only used to reinforce that answer. You can see it clearly in many liberal adjenda, slogans, and programs. You will often hear things like, "Violence is bad!!!". And from a child-like perspective violence is certainly not a good thing. But using violence to stop someone else from doing harm to others would probably be a good move. This is something that liberals tend to have a really hard time with. The idea of more adult forms of grey areas of thinking.

    Arguably... most of their stances tend to revolve around the percieved notion of someone exploiting someone else. They believe as children do.... that if everyone was just left alone, then everyone would be happy and peacefull. And things like war and violence would dissappear. So if you adopt that sort of philosopy, then of course you believe that if someone IS violent, that there was a reason for it. And that becomes their oppressor target to hate.

    Let me try this will a simple example. A very foolish man get the horrible idea that he can trim his bushes by picking up a lawn mower, and run it accross his bushes to trim them. So he bypasses all of the saftey's on the lawnmower, refuses to read any of the warning labels, an in short order cuts off a majority of his fingers for his foolishness. A non-liberal person looks at this and says, "What a moron.... he got what he deserved!" A very liberal minded person might say, "Even the most backward of our society must be protected. Obviously there were not enough saftey's on this piece of equipment! We need LARGER warning labels! We need to force the lawnmower company to be more responsible, and we are going to make more laws to force them to do it!!!!"

    This is the basic difference in my opinion between liberals, and non-liberal minded people. One has personal responsibility.... the other believes that their safety, housing, medical care, clothing, whatever, is always someone elses responsibility.
     
  23. James Cessna

    James Cessna New Member

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    You are very correct, armor99.

    Liberals always overly simplify life's situations.

    For example when you say, "Liberalism they say is basically a doctrine that relys on emotion, rather than facts or logic. For a liberal minded person... the answer to a question is already known, and the facts if used at all... are only used to reinforce that answer.

    You can see it clearly in many liberal adjenda, slogans, and programs. You will often hear things like, "Violence is bad!!!". And from a child-like perspective violence is certainly not a good thing. But using violence to stop someone else from doing harm to others would probably be a good move. This is something that liberals tend to have a really hard time with. The idea of more adult forms of grey areas of thinking."

    [​IMG]
     
  24. SiliconMagician

    SiliconMagician Banned

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    So you want Social Democracy. We get it.
     
  25. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    Instead of responding to a series of nonsensical straw men. I will actually attempt to, in as succinct a manner as possible, lay out the goals of liberalism. I will then respond to some of the claims made in the post.


    The main goal of liberalism stems from the fact that liberals are aware that capitalism, like all things, is flawed. Those flaws include things like externalities, market failures, and the natural concentration of wealth into the hands of the very wealthy. If not dealt with properly those externalities can lead to serious inefficiencies, the concentration of wealth can become extreme, and market failures can crash the economy. So in order to rectify those problems liberals believe government should intervene to eliminate externalities to the best of their ability, regulate the economy, and put in place measures which will keep wealth from becoming too concentrated, as no healthy society can have too much wealth concentrated into the hands of the very few. All that means that liberals do not hate the wealthy, nor do they want to punish them, or any other nonsense. I hope to be rich one day, but if I am I will not whine like a baby if I get taxed some. I will understand that I am contributing to the maintenance of a functioning modern society.


    As far as the clams of the OP that poverty has not gotten better because of the great society, it is a false claim. The poverty rate at the end of the 1950s was 22.4%, meaning that about 40 million people lived in poverty in America. By 1973 it was 11.1%(down to about 23 million people), there is no one who can deny that is a success. The rate then went back up after 12 years of Reagan and Bush to 15.1%, only to decline again under Clinton to 11.3%. In other words the assertions of the OP about the failure of the Great Society are patently false. The Great Society, on top of the incredible economic growth under Kennedy and Johnson, brought millions out of poverty. So the whole OP is based on a false assumption.


    http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/
     

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