What Do You Mean By Conservative Politics? How About Liberal Politics? In this election year, as with so many others, candidates have acquired certain labels according to their party. Democratic candidates are often labeled as "liberals" by their Republican opponents. Republican candidates are likewise dubbed "conservatives". Such labels tend to ring certain bells with individual voters. Let's take a look at what Webster's has to say on the subject and see if we can find some real meaning worthy of the labels in reference to politics. First, what is the definition of conservative? Webster's says, as an adjective, conservative means tending to preserve established institutions, opposed to change, moderate or cautious. When used as a noun, it describes a conservative person. Webster's thesaurus variously offers nuances on the word, such as traditional, reactionary, conventional, taking no chances, fearful, unimaginative and in a rut! My goodness. There are so many implications, it's hard to know where to begin. Whereas you might like conservative politicians if they tend to preserve the established institutions, would you like the same candidate who is opposed to change? If you want to nit-pick, how about an unimaginative, reactionary, conservative politician? Now let's look at the other side. You like the Democrats, the liberal candidates. According to Webster's, these liberals are tolerant, broad-minded and favor reform or progress. Hey, what's not to like? Now for other liberal connotations. If you favor the liberal politician, does this mean you abide by Webster's thesaurus and give your vote to the radical, wide-awake and rational candidate? So if you are to rely on the dictionary and thesaurus, one who favors conservative politics might be fearful and unimaginative. On the other hand, a conservative politician might be imbued with characteristics more favorable, such as one who is moderate, traditional and conventional. Yikes! What does it all mean? It's clear that it isn't sufficient to say, "Yes, I favor conservative politics over liberal politics". No wonder it's considered bad manners to discuss politics. When you also consider that the opposing parties hurl these labels like weapons and slurs against their opponents, you find that these words don't stand up to a dictionary. Whether you are a supporter of conservative politics or liberal politics, you need to thoroughly read between the lines of political speeches and assess the candidates' worth on what they say in no uncertain terms. Or is that an oxymoron? Unfortunately, none of the candidates seem to be caught saying the same thing twice. Positions can change at the drop of a hat. In the end, the labels essentially are meaningless. Now what about those other political parties? Summary Conservative politics versus liberal politics. There is the general idea that conservatives are seldom open to change and enjoy traditional leadership and occurances. Liberal means more open to change or new ideas and more tolerant of others. Which side are you on for candidates? Related Articles How Do American Politics Measure Up? Political Campaign Strategies Campaign Slogans Related Sites