Have we mover to the left or the right since LBJ

[Moonbeam]

I am interested to know which way folk think the country has moved say since LBJ. Who is winning. Has the country moved to the right or to the left? Which side has convinced more people. I think the right is winning, that they have done a better job convincing people that a progressive great society is not the way to go. I think even a much more moderate Democrat like Obama people have become more convinced, is too far to the left? I think we have moved to the right. I don't even think there's much of a real left anymore. Today's left looks to me like a bit left of center. Anyway, no poll, I don't like them. What do you think?

 

[EagleKeeper]

I think the country actually has drifted more toward the liberal side.

Eventually the Dem falter and the Repub are able to present a strong arguement that the Dems have failed in their obligations to the country.

Economic cycles roll around - screwing up the Repub concept.
Reps falter and the Dems come back stating what failed.
However, them Dems can not make it better.

Rinse and repeat the cycle.

 

[woolfe9999]

It largely depends on the issue. There was a rightward shift on fiscal and economic issues during the Reagan era, and I think that has continued. The general distrust we have for politicians has bled over to government in general and that plays better with the conservative ideological stance on the role of government.

On social issues, it's largely a mixed bag. On gay rights, the left has prevailed, or is in the process of prevailing. Similarly with attitudes toward marijauna laws, and down the road, drug prohibition in general. On gun control, the right has basically won that argument and it's probably time for the left to move on.

Foreign policy in general, the hawkish stance of the right and moderate left has prevailed for a long time. However, I am sensing that this is in the process of changing as more of the right starts to think about the high cost of defense.

 

[KGB]

 

[Thump553]

Come one Moonie, you know that answer. In the fifties and sixties the country was moving consistently to the left, both politically and socially. Politically since then it was been all to the right, at times moving harder right than others, but consistently to the right. The GOP has become very adept at stonewalling any progress when they aren't in power (witness the never-ending "investigations" and impeachment during Clinton's era and the lockstep GOP voting now).

Socially it's a harder call. Overall probably more liberal, as it is very hard to put the genie back in the bottle once people get a taste of equal treatment. But in my wildest nightmares I never would have thought creationism would be a dominant school of thought in 21st century USA, along with the religious litmus tests the GOP puts us through. In a very real way our progress socially has been schizophrentic.

 

[Jaskalas]

There are multiple trends moving around, to try and generalize them all together as Left or Right is nothing but folly.

Socially, have we moved Left or Right since women voting, prohibition, civil rights, etc? The answer is obvious. This country has never been more Left and it continues to slide.

Economically, we've had our ups and downs since the Great Depression. The 30s-50s saw a great flight to the Left, then the Right started to make up ground since. The present crisis has made men like GWB run Left.

Corporately, don't know how you could consider this a Left vs Right issue, but the country has never been more Corporate. Although government has never been bigger either. Coincidence? Maybe Corporate power grows hand in hand with the government that feeds it. Which case you've quite the dilemma for which side is more Corporate and how to delineate this between Left and Right.

 

[Moonbeam]

Well I was thinking about economic theory and economic policies. Socially we may have become more liberal, but I think we have moved farther from socialist to more conservative thinking as policy relating to the economy.

 

[IronWing]

On social issues, mostly left.
On economic/trade issues, hard to the right.
On taxes hard to the right; on spending about even with LBJ, hence the deficits.
On justice/policing/sentencing hard to the right.
On corporate/banking/finance policy, hard to the right.
On environmental issues, first to the left with Nixon/Carter then back somewhat to the right. The last environmental policy with teeth to pass Congress was CERCLA (Superfund). Most of the fights have been over willingness or lack thereof to implement existing environmetal laws (Clean Air, Clean Water, Endangered Species, RCRA) as written.

 

[Anarchist420]

I think the country actually has drifted more toward the liberal side.

Eventually the Dem falter and the Repub are able to present a strong arguement that the Dems have failed in their obligations to the country.

Economic cycles roll around - screwing up the Repub concept.
Reps falter and the Dems come back stating what failed.
However, them Dems can not make it better.

Rinse and repeat the cycle.

I agree that the country has drifted more towards the liberal side, but I disagree about what you have to say about Republicans; they're just as liberal/bad as Democrats in many, if not most cases. Dr. Paul is the only person in Congress who believes that the states should decide who votes and he gets hell for it too.

I hate how it's become so taboo to advocate repeal of all post civil war Amendments. The 14th Amendment basically was the downfall of the republic and its federalism (which was better than the democratic nationalism that replaced it, but not good like Confederalism was) and it's only been downhill from there.

It largely depends on the issue. There was a rightward shift on fiscal and economic issues during the Reagan era, and I think that has continued. The general distrust we have for politicians has bled over to government in general and that plays better with the conservative ideological stance on the role of government.

On social issues, it's largely a mixed bag. On gay rights, the left has prevailed, or is in the process of prevailing. Similarly with attitudes toward marijauna laws, and down the road, drug prohibition in general. On gun control, the right has basically won that argument and it's probably time for the left to move on.

Foreign policy in general, the hawkish stance of the right and moderate left has prevailed for a long time. However, I am sensing that this is in the process of changing as more of the right starts to think about the high cost of defense.

The Republicans are moderate on gun control, so the right hasn't won. Reagan was also one of the most economically moderate Presidents we've ever had. He was a protectionist from hell (the most protectionist since Hoover), he raised taxes, spent like crazy, and advocated a weak dollar.

There are multiple trends moving around, to try and generalize them all together as Left or Right is nothing but folly.

Socially, have we moved Left or Right since women voting, prohibition, civil rights, etc? The answer is obvious. This country has never been more Left and it continues to slide.

Economically, we've had our ups and downs since the Great Depression. The 30s-50s saw a great flight to the Left, then the Right started to make up ground since. The present crisis has made men like GWB run Left.

Corporately, don't know how you could consider this a Left vs Right issue, but the country has never been more Corporate. Although government has never been bigger either. Coincidence? Maybe Corporate power grows hand in hand with the government that feeds it. Which case you've quite the dilemma for which side is more Corporate and how to delineate this between Left and Right.

corporatism is 3rd way, so it's moderate and that may be why it's so attractive to so many people. Laissez-faire capitalism is on the right and a redistributive state is on left.

 

[Anarchist420]

On social issues, mostly left.
On economic/trade issues, hard to the right.
On taxes hard to the right; on spending about even with LBJ, hence the deficits.
On justice/policing/sentencing hard to the right.
On corporate/banking/finance policy, hard to the right.
On environmental issues, first to the left with Nixon/Carter then back somewhat to the right. The last environmental policy with teeth to pass Congress was CERCLA (Superfund). Most of the fights have been over willingness or lack thereof to implement existing environmetal laws (Clean Air, Clean Water, Endangered Species, RCRA) as written.

The Federal Reserve is actually hard center (the left would like to replace it with greenbackism, the right would like ot replace it with free market money and sound banking) and managed trade like the WTO and NAFTA are hard center too. We have very high sugar tariffs and quotas. Don't forget Bush's disastrous 2002 Steel Tariff.