How do I know if I'm politically left wing or right wing? ?

Question

What's the major difference? Is right wing more like conservatives, whereas left wing is more liberal? Please advise.

Answer 1

You got it.

However, Most Americans fall somewhere in the middle.  In recent years, the GOP went way too far to the right and these days the left is downright Marxists/Communist.  (And that is coming from a woman who has voted Dem all her life!)

The truth is, that any particular American may fall to one side on the issue of gun control and the other on the issue of immigration.. One side for education and the other for economics.

We really need to focus on campaign reform so that alternate parties can enter the political arena on a level playing field.

Until then, I suggest you consider doing what I do.  I vet the individual candidates, not the parties.  I consider their history on the issues, their motives for wanting the office, and their personal integrity.

Answer 2

You are on the right track.

Right wing people typically are:

Conservative, religious, pro life, believe in creation, believe most things are up to the individual, few social programs, more xenophobic, favor the capitalist system, pro business and anti union, not environmentally oriented.

Left wing people typically are

Liberal, not as religious, pro choice, believe in evolution, believe the state should take care of most things, more social programs, more tolerant of foreigners, favor the socialist system, pro union and anti business, environmentally oriented.

Answer 3

you got it; if you support Obama you are way left wing

if you support McCain your in the middle of conservative to right wing

Answer 4

Pretty much, right wing is : anti-abortion rights, pro-death penalty, few to no social programs, more pro-war.

Left Wing is: Pro-choice, anti death penalty, social programs, less war.

However, you can fall any where in between and it's not so black and white. Like there are some  people who consider themselves right wing who support a women's right to choose, and there are left wingers who are anti-abortion.  

You can mix and match really it's where you feel more comfortable.  Find out where you stand on the issues, and see who you agree with more.  Only the most extreme agree with either point of view 100%.  I think more people fall somewhere in the middle.  

Answer 5

It doesn't matter what you are labeled as, just decide things based on how important they are to you.  Who cares what people call you?

Answer 6

There are 3 major policies- economic (aka fiscal), social (aka domestic), and foreign. Democrats are left in social and foreign, and republicans are right winged in those two. Liberals are left winged in economics, and conservatives are right winged in it. However, liberals generally are also democrats, and conservatives are republicans, so sometimes people in each party are called liberal or conservative.

Basic Policies of Left Winged:

Economics- pro welfare/social security, progressive taxing

Social- pro g*y marriage, pro-choice

Foreign-anti- Iraq war

Basic Policies of Right Winged:

Economics- against welfare/ social security, non-progressive taxing

Social- anti g*y marriage, pro-life

foreign-pro-Iraq War

If you agree with all left policies for example, you would be a liberal democrat. If for example, you agreed with left social and foreign policies, but right economic policies, you would be a conservative democrat.

Answer 7

You got it.

the name actually came from the British Parliament because the more conservative party sat on the right and the more liberal party sat on the left of the Parliament.

Answer 8

There is a lot of blurring and confusion in these terms, and it is best to ask a person what they mean by political right or left.  For example, both Obama and McCain are on the right of the political spectrum.  

Generally the right is characterized by policies that serve big corporations such as privatization and deregulation and making the world amenable to corporate bottm line...ultimately serving the very rich in society.  You must know what these terms mean.

Privatizatio means transfer from the public domain, that is, you and I, to private and unelected hands.  Deregulation means taking the power from public inspectors and letting the private industry set its own regulations and assume they will put public interest above profit maximization.

Unfortunately there is a large religious and often well-meaning group who support right wing politics because the right gives the impression that it Christian and consequently against abortion and soon.  So these people end up voting right wing only on the basis of religious issues...they don't realize that in their push for big business rule, people are losing their sovereignty and the constitution is being lost.  

Case in mind:  look at how the Bush Administration has legislated laws against civil liberties, and how much corruption and lying has occured and how many thousands of people, Americans, Iraqis, Afghanis, etc. have been killed because of their policies, and the environmental mess, and their use of depleted uranium in war, their lack of domestic policy especially in healthcare and education, etc.  Unfortunately the so-called Christian right sees Bush and gang as Christians because they ar against abortion.  

Well I'm very much pro-life and I love Jesus, but because of concern for social justice I couldn't possibly vote for a Bush kind of govenment.  I hope you can now have a better understanding of the context of this issue and form your own perspective.

Answer 9

Your thoughts about it are basically correct.  

Answer 10

You got it right.

Answer 11

R&S is wrong. Supporting Obama does not make you "way left wing" like he insists. If that was the case, 48% of the country according today's Gallup tracking poll would be "way left wing", which of course is not true. For reference, McCain is only at 42%, currently a 6 point lead for Obama.

In my opinion, McCain is much more extreme than Obama is, he is the most hawkish member of the Senate and many of his Republican colleagues are scared of McCain with his infamous short fuse and temper being behind the trigger, and having access to a huge arsenal of nukes. He has laughed about going to war with Iran, and sounds like he think we should invade Russia. He recently agreed with an audience member who said that we need to reinstate the draft. He wants to keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq, and stay there for 100 years. (he said 10,000 years would be okay with him) He wants to give huge tax cuts for oil companies and companies who ship our jobs overseas, as well as the richest Americans, including himself (he owns at least 7 homes), with very minor tax cuts for the middle class, much less than what Obama proposes.  Under his radial and out-of-touch economic plan, the budget deficit would explode, much more than under an Obama administration, and much more than it would have under a Hillary Clinton administration. He is surrounded by neo-conservative advisers, the same people who have advised Bush and got us into war in Iraq.

Who is the real radical?

Answer 12

if you've ever fondled yourself in front of children, and thougth it was OK, but did the same in front of a baby seal and thought "How wrong of me!", you are most definately a liberal.

Mad Texan has an odd attraction to the male genitals...

Answer 13

If you believe that you can run your own life better than the government can run your life, then you are a right-wing conservative. If you believe that the government can run your life better than you can, you are a left wing liberal.