Socially liberal and fiscally conservative?

Question

I've heard several people say that they're socially liberal (such as pro-choice) but fiscally conservative. So do you still vote republican if you're socially liberal? What makes you vote the way you do? Fiscally conservative no matter what? Or do you have wiggle room?

Answer 1

I don't know how they can claim to be fiscally conservative.  The last three Republican Presidents have proved that they are anything but that.

Answer 2

There's no such thing as a social liberal/fiscal conservative.

A social liberal wants alot of government paid programs and whatnot, but how does the fiscal conservative pay for all that?

Arnold Schwarzenegger described himself as a social liberla/fiscal conservative, but as it turns out, hes all liberal. We have as of yet to see the fiscal conservative in him.

"Bill Clinton was fiscally conservative"

Thats a laugh. As long as he had a democrat congress in his first two years in office, he was a fiscal liberal. Tax anbd spend. After the Republicans took control, he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to sign fiscally conservative measures. And he only did that because his political advisers warned him that if he didnt, he could lose alot of support among the voters.

Answer 3

Either way, when it comes down to it, most people are pretty much closer in ideology than farther away, no one really thinks for themselves anymore, look at the MSMedia propaganda,

they serve on a dish what these people are supposed to believe.

It's no wonder there are two neoliberal globalist meat puppets up there and they have everyone convinced there's a difference and to choose,

what a sham.

Answer 4

Social liberal and fiscal conservatives are most likely going to range between a moderate democrat/republican to a libertarian.  Both parties today seem to walk hand and hand with big government, which is antithetical to being fiscally conservative.

Democrats in the past have balanced the budge better than republicans, but I would be hesitant to call them fiscally conservative since that represents a small federal government--instead they have been more fiscally responsibility.  Clinton did have help from a republican controlled Congress.

Reagan had Carter's mess to clean up, cut the highest marginal tax rates from 70%-30%, spurned economic growth, fiscally outspend the Russian's to help win the cold war (while hindsight said he could have cut back on fiscal expenditures), while reducing federal government.

This is a tough election for a fiscal conservative/social liberal person.  You are either going to vote libertarian or take a gamble and vote McCain hoping he takes a different path than Big Government George Bush or you will reluctantly support Obama since he his socially liberal, but far from being a fiscal conservative.

Answer 5

bmovies6 - Our governor is a fiscal conservative. The budget issues have to do with the automatic budget increases put upon the state of California by the legistlature and the voters in the past when the dems were in charge.  

Answer 6

I'm guessing they would either vote Republican or Libertarian, although they might vote for a JFK-type Democrat.

BTW, I met a guy on here yesterday who said he was socially conservative and fiscally liberal, and he was voting Democratic.

Answer 7

Bill Clinton was fiscally conservative.

Bush is fiscally liberal.  

Government deficit spending has grown at a record pace under every Republican administration since Reagan.  This is NOT a conservative fiscal policy.  At least Clinton (and the Republican Congress) balanced the federal budget.

I think you would be wiser as a socially liberal, fiscally conservative voter to choose Democrat.

Answer 8

Yes, and I feel most Americans fall into this category.

Studies show that Red States contribute more to charity,

What is that if not "socially liberal"?

Most if not all Americans do not approve of out of control Government spending.

What is that if not "fiscally conservative"?

Nobody agrees on everything, and Party platforms are blurring as some commenting on this administrations spending and growth prove.

I have voted Republican, Democrat and for a third party. I will continue to do so.

Voting the candidate and on the real issues, not The Party or wedge issues that will not be resolved anyway is my way.

Answer 9

See President Bill Clinton for an explaination. He was a social liberal and fiscally conservative. Republicans are under the misconception that being socially liberal means having government give-aways for everything. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike republicans democrats don't want their morals legislated and don't want choice taken from them because of someones religious beliefs. I consider myself socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Pay as you go or don't go, period. The same thing Clinton used to balance the budget and hand President Bush a surplus. As a social type person thinking about the good of the many and not the few, I would much rather see my tax dollars being spent on health care for ALL of us than on this endeavor into Iraq. At least we would be spending our money on us for the betterment of ALL of our society. If that's un-American, I guess I'll never be an American even though I was born in the first capital of this country where our history abounds and all one has to do is walk the streets. Today's republicans think being conservative means trying to deny rights to people who are homosexual, protecting a fetus and insuring the right for me, you, and a whole bunch of people who shouldn't own guns, own them. I still say the only thing about conservatives that is conservative, is their thinking. They're stuck in the America of the fifties.

Answer 10

I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I am voting Democratic because the the Republican party is too far from center socially for me. I can not feel good knowing I am voting for a candidate who is against human rights.