Is DU moderate or radical?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

Just wanted to start a thread on this. There are those who say we're too extreme, and others who say DU is centrist with a rightward slant.
What do you guys think. Personally I think the definitions of radical, moderate, extreme et al have become unstuck in the last few years.

On edit - obviously DU is a broad church, just wanted some anecdotal evidence on what DUers consider extreme, moderate etc.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. I think we're all accross the board

We've got some center, center-left, and pure left opinions here. (And that's a good thing) :toast:

[LuLu550]

2. Real DUers are left of center; Freepers and lurkers are right

and Rush's head is stuck so far up his bunghole you can't tell just how far right he is.

[Maeve]

3. Both

We've got progressives of all stripes and a few spots...the whole continuum.

[if it comes from the whitehouse it must be true]

4. All of the above

I have seen all here and depending on the topic each shows up in numbers :)

[Zuni]

5. we have moderates, radicals, progressive conservatives

centrists, communists, socialists, libertarians.

I consider myself a moderate with some socialist economic beliefs.

[Kanary]

6. centrist to conservative

Even in topics that aren't at all "leftist", the conservatives manage to make quite a logjam. Very discouraging. Even things that were accomplished during Kennedy will find detractors here who say "It can't be done".

While there is an effort to dismiss this as "freepers", as the mods have said about the disruptors, it's mostly those who have been here a long time, and have many posts under their belts. So, either they are very conservative, or they just enjoy rankling people and disrupting discussions.

on edit: the view of women often portrayed here is nearly neanderthal

Kanary

[Crunchy Frog]

7. I think DU represents a very broad spectrum.

For the most part i regard myself as a fairly moderate liberal, but my positions on some issues, and my takes on whats happening to this country right now have put me close to being a screaming radical in some ways. Some of us have beliefs and world views that are not easily pigeonholed.

[Cooley Hurd]

8. Ever-so-slightly left of center to left wingnut...

I feel like I fall smack dab in the middle of that range, a "moderate wingnut."

[Padraig18]

9. Left of center, somewhat.

:)

[Kamika]

10. how can you know?

we have all kinds of definitions here.. ppl saying were left or right are bs-ing. Only way you can know is to ask every active member.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

11. Of course, I just wanted your opinion on what you thought was moderate etc

[Kamika]

13. I'm pretty moderate

I don't support socialism, I think christianity has alot of good points about morals.. I believe everyone has a right to defend him/herself

[corporatewhore]

12. Depends on what you consider radical

for example i consider the death penalty free trade voting for preemptive oilwars school of americas spporting israel when they are trying to wipe out the palestinians screwing the people you reprsent for a large corporation and denying people medicaltreatment because they cant afford it radical

[if it comes from the whitehouse it must be true]

15. Radical

Left: A person who spikes trees and spray paints SUV's

Right: Abortion clinic bomber and the ones who suggest, "Well you just do not understand his statement".

[Spider Jerusalem]

14. Depends on your perspective...

an extreme right-winger would consider it a hotbed of flaming leftist radicalism; a libertarian socialist (left-wing anarchist) would consider it moderate to conservative, by and large. I myself would say that it's very moderately left-of-centre; the balance has shifted rightward since I first came here (over a year and a half ago, under another name). Then, there were a lot more people who would be considered "radical"; anarchists, evangelical vegans who thought the only problem with PETA was that it was too "moderate", self-defined communists...of course, back then the total number of registered users was in the low ten thousands...11-12K, if I remember correctly. Only natural that the overall tone should become more moderate, really...so, centre to centre-left, I'd say.

[Nicholas_J]

16. Using world wide standards of political degrees of left and right

DU members seem to be comprised of a majority of people who are largely to the right of center. By the standards of European Political Parties, the Democratic Party would fall decidedly right of center, at least according to various political commentators on media like the BBC and Deutsch Welle.

Even the most conservative governments in Europe advocate and support programs that are considerd commie pinko in the U.S. such as strong governmental regulation of business, limiting the salaries ond other remuneration of coroprate executives to a rather small mltiple of the lowest paid workers in a corporation (varies but i think the worse case in Europe is that C.E.O in one of the countries can make as much as 25 times as much as the lowest paid employee, where in the United States it is as high as 413 times the rate of the lowest paid worker), more extensive and better social programs available to all citizens, with far better health coverage, workmans comp, retirement, vacations and unemployment benefits that in general are available for as long as the citizen is out of work, with additional stipends to the unemployed for housing and food. Very much more time off from work for sick and vacation leave.

Also all of the E.U. nations are subject to rules that do not allow any of these nations to run a deficit that is higher than 3.5 percent of their GDP, and that is only allowed for one year.

On top of that, both France and Germany are actually the nations that the U.S. is borrowing a billion dollars a day from to finance our own deficit.

Odd, that nations that are supposed to be less productive than the U.S. are able to keep relatively balanced budgets. Provide a great deal more social benefits. And still lend the U.S. a billion dollars a day.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

17. The mainstream Democratic Party would be the equivalent of the PC's

here in Canada. We consider them to be slightly right-of-centre.
Yes, I know they don't exist anymore.
By mainstream I'm thinking of Joe Lieberman and his ilk.

[Nicholas_J]

19. Yeah

Americans by and large, no matter how liberal they think they are, are a rather conservative lot.

It seems odd that we fought a supposed war or independance to break away from rather conservative monarchies that have now evolved into far more liberal and truly democratic states in which the average citizen's input into the government and their influence over their elected official's again is more strikingly democratic than the U.S.

At least when I wrote a letter to Jean Chretien, commending him for his actions during the Iraq War, and his years of devotiion to liberal principals and wish him a good retirement, I got a letter back directly from him that did not sem to be boilerplate drivel and signed by him, referring directly to the content of my own note. Nice personal touch. The only person who has done than in the U.S. when I contacted them was Kent Conrad.

Anyway, yes, Perhaps Canada is so much better off as it evolved into a modern democratic state, rather than resulted from a coup d'etat that was run by the welathy in the U.S. in the 18th Century.

Looking at the frontrunning candidates, you will notice that the more conservative they are, the better they are doing.

[corporatewhore]

18. i think that the democratic party

for the most part is right of center too.

[durutti]

20. Everything.

DU isn't easily pigeonholed. We have moderates, liberals, socialists, anarchists, libertarians, and closet conservatives, among others.

[izzie]

21. I think we are just the party all over the place.

It is OK with me.

[JanMichael]

22. I'm a moderate Socialist. Does that help?

:evilgrin:

[Blue-Jay]

23. We have our share of each.

No big deal, really. Same as anywhere else. FR has it's knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathers as well as a few thoughtful, rational posters (who are still deluded, IMO).

:)

[SOteric]

24. That's a bit like asking if we think

the human race is moderate or radical.

Every opinion is well represented here. Whether someone is moderate or even extreme in viewpoint is usually determined by perspective. I'm sure more than a few people whom I might think to be extreme believe themselves moderate. While moderate people who've grown up around a family whose political views are about as enthusiastic as those expressed by asparagus might consider themselves radical by comparison.

[ACK]

25. moderate to radical left

Listen there is nothing in the moderate mindset that has any room for making apologies for Castro and Chinese repression of intellectuals. I have seen people do that here on a consistent basis.

I have also seen moderates cause big logjams on threads that were obviously aimed at the radicals in the group.

Kanary is right about one thing. For all the liberal talk, there are looking people ready to start saying b*tch and c*nt about women on the right and getting all neanderthal about sex issues.

There are a number of socialist and anarchists on this site. 17% of the people would not vote for Democrat candidate. Most of those are the greens and they say so.

There is nothing even remotely moderate about some people saying here in open terms that they literally hate, and despise America and wish for its downfall. Before you hit reply and say that they do not exist, let me warn you I have been through this before. The last time to make the point I posted a question do you hate America and why. It got tons of hate responses. How many times have you seen the "Is America worth Saving" threads? There are more than a few America Sucks it should go to hell and I am moving to Canada reponses. I will the question again but considering the state of GD it would not be a good thing.

There are moderates out there. MuddleoftheRoad (old school FDR style Dem) is one for example and they are many others.

[alwynsw]

26. Kind of like hobo stew

a little bit of everything

[southerngirlwriter]

27. I am considered a "bedwetting radical" among my friends,

but here I'm fairly moderate. So, I'd have to say DU leans toward the far left of the spectrum. Not that that's a bad thing, at all.