Quote:
Originally Posted by VRM
That's true, but there are liberals today who still agree with what the liberals in Jeffersons time thought. I suspect that Clay is one of them, and I am probably not that far off myself.
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Yep, but personally, I think the labels have become pretty meaningless. They always have been. Exhibit A would be a "conservative," currently-sitting President, who has recently checked all the boxes to qualify as a card-carrying, "big government liberal."
Political campaigns are about idealism and what a candidate would like to accomplish in an ideal world. That idealism is necessary to motivate people to become involved.
However, after assuming an office, reality is reality, and campaign positions must be modified, unless the the office holder is in denial and/or not very smart. In a dramatically changing world, where there is no handbook or known recipe to fix a multi-generational set of problems, the silly labels of the past make no sense.
I'd wear the Jeffersonian definition of liberal as a badge of honor. Jefferson would likely have been the first to recognize those realities, and his own positions changed significantly over time. The literal definition "liberal" means being able to react to changing times and a willingness to change or reform. By definition, conservative means slowness or resistance to change, and clinging to what might have worked in the past. Thanks for the compliment.
