what is the difference between liberal, moderate and conservative?
443230
Liberal = change\nConservative = keeping things as they have always been\nModerate = will swing back and forth between the two depending on the issue at hand
217431
the conservatives are a centre-right party. the Liberals are a centre-left party. the NDP are a left of centre party, and the Bloc are all over the place, but they're supposedly a left wing party of some sort, but how much is open to debate
832696
by definition\na liberal is "on the left" and wants a bigger government and more government spending and programs.  A welfare state and care by the government is encouraged\na conservative "on the right" wants a smaller government and less government spending and programs.  Independence from government is encouraged\nBoth have problems and both have contradictions (republican conservative congress had record spending)\n\n**in response to above, Hitler was right-wing.  this doesn't reflect on any American politics today.  Not all liberals support pro-choice.  Supporting pro-choice is not supporting abortion, it is supporting an option for women who make mistakes.
871304
Depends on what you mean by "help"\nIf your talking about a hand-out  - The liberal\n\nIf your talking about targeted tax breaks - the moderate\n\nIf you talking about less government hoops to jump through, less taxes, more jobs and opportunities for advancements - the conservative
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everything\n\ngenerally, liberal stances vs. conservative stances\n\nthe liberal ideal:\n\nBroadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, free public education, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected.[2] In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed.[3]\n\nthe republican ideal:\n\nClassical or institutional conservatism - Opposition to rapid change in governmental and societal institutions. This kind of conservatism is anti-ideological insofar as it emphasizes process (slow change) over product (any particular form of government). To the classical conservative, whether one arrives at a right- or left-leaning government is less important than whether change is effected through rule of law rather than through revolution and sudden innovation.
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The differences have become less pronounced over the past several decades, but if you want the differences between real conservatives and real liberals, then they are many.\n\nReal conservatives believe that the federal government should only do what it is specifically authornized to do in the constitution.  They believe that the military is one of the few areas where federal spending is appropriate.  Anything not specifically assigned to the federal government should be handled by the states, county or local government, and preferably by individuals themselves or their neighbors or church or private charity.  Liberals seem to disagree with that heirarchy of responsibility.\n\nConservatives embrace religion and feel it should be an important part of private and public life.  Liberals seem to think religion should be a strictly private matter and not be seen in public at all.\n\nConservatives believe abortion is a horrible evil, and should be stopped, except perhaps in the unfortunate situations of rape, incest or where abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother.  Liberals feel that abortion is simply a medical procedure to remove unwanted cells from a womans body, akin to removing a mole or having a tooth pulled.\n\nConservatives believe that this country is founded on freedom and equality only in opportunity.  Liberals seem to value equality more and feel that where equality doesn't exist, it should be forced into being by a progressive tax code, which takes money from the "rich" and gives it to the poor.\n\nThe biggest difference is empowering people and private enterprise vs. empowering government.
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In truth, there is not much difference. Democrats tend to be more liberal and Republicans more conservative, but there are exceptions on both parties. &#92;\n\nNow, do your own homework and write the rest!!!
833952
It's so easy to look at the shortcomings of liberal or conservative thinking. A moderate looks at the strengths of both side's logic. \n\nThose who are disadvantaged need our help. But, that help should be a hand up not a handout.\n\nWe need to react with aggression when aggression is aim at us. But that retaliation should be narrowly focused.\n\nWe should walk softly in world affairs, but carry a big stick.\n\nThere is a great deal of strength when liberal and conservative logic stands shoulder-to-shoulder.
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There is a difference.\n\nConservatism is a general term for that side of the spectrum.\n\nA neo-conservative in modern times are the conservatives who are a little farther out on the right.  They, like anyone who gets too far off the deep end, gets closed minded, thinks their side is ALWAYS right, feels like the other side is ALWAYS wrong and is a general BIGOT.\n\nDon't get me wrong, I'm not calling all conservatives that, only neo-conservatives.  It's the same with liberals and neo-liberals (liberals who think all events are a conspiracy by Bush, etc..)\n\nBeing too far on any one side is bad.  That's the idea of neo-con/lib.\n\nUsually, on this forum though, it's just name calling.  Most of the liberals that use "neo-con" are themselves "neo-libs".
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CENTRIST\n\n \n\nCENTRISTS espouse a "middle ground" regarding government\n\ncontrol of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on\n\nthe issue, they sometimes favor government intervention\n\nand sometimes support individual freedom of choice.\n\nCentrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind,\n\ntend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what\n\nthey describe as "practical" solutions to problems.\n\n \n\nFunny, but I always have to be in the "middle".
858365
Right wing = conservative (more business based and seen as upper class)\n\nleft wing = liberal (live and let live and they are seen as the working class)
254148
Conservative and Liberal are terms only describing your tendency towards one side or another on certain issues.  It really has nothing to do with party affiliation.  There are a number of conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, but the majority of Republicans tend to be more conservative and the majority of Democrats tend to be more liberal, which is how the words have come to be used as pseudo-insults from one party to the other.
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Veeery generaly speaking, the Left (liberal) and Right (conservative) of politics came out of the French Revolution.\n\nAt that time, the Left was more concerned with laws that protect people's rights, and the conservatives are more concerned with laws that protect property.  \n\nFrom this, the traditional Liberal and Conservatives have arisen.  No one politican or person exemplifies what the TRUE definition of the words are, but issue by issue, the sides of politics have been created by these factions.\n\nIf you ask me, the terms liberal and conservative are meaningless, because they can't capture the entire persons views, and a person who describes themselves as a dem, repub, liberal or conservative is doing an injustice to the political process.\n\nAll politicians agree that its not about sides, its about issues.  Not about teams, its about debate and progress.
704310
Democrats are liberals and they like gay marriages and abortion.\nRepublicans are conservatives but they like war just like the invasion of Iraq.
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Conservative and liberal. Fox news and CNN respectively.\n\nI'm not to sure if that is what you are looking for.
320757
Liberal is the opposite of Conservative.  Libertarian is the opposite of Authoritarian.   Libertarianism means giving power to the people.  Meaning a small government, with few laws.  Liberal, on the economic scale, means a regulated economy, as opposed to a deregulated economy.  \n\nIt's kind of confusing, but they explain it well at http://www.politicalcompass.org
1100882
You're making invalid assumptions. The middle ground for both major parties are moderates, with very few going far afield.\n\nOne end of one spectrum is conservative republican. The other ends of that spectrum are moderate republican and federalist.\n\nOne of the a different spectrum is liberal democrat. The other ends of that spectrum are moderate democrat and libertarian.\n\nBasically, there are two scales of values. One is big government versus small government (Republican -- Libertarian). The other spectrum is group rights ("traditional" values) versus individual/personal rights (Federalist -- Democrats).\n\nRepublicans (nowadays) want  group rights (conformity with "traditional" values) and a large government to ensure domestic tranquility (by enforcing those conservative majority beliefs). Moderate republicans (originally called fiscal conservatives) want a small government, just large enough to provide for the common defense. The republican party does not really have a liberal wing, and usually treat the goal of individual liberties (being liberal) as a dirty word.\n\n\n\nDemocrats want individual rights and a large government to promote the general welfare.  Moderate democrats don't want a lot of wasteful spending., and want to achieve their goals without causing too many problems. Democrats do have a Conservative wing, which focuses on better ethical leadership and greater protection for both groups and individuals. The main difference is that conservative democrats still don't believe in enforcing their views on the minority, even if their own personal choices would be the same as what conservative republicans would make.\n\nLibertarians want a small government (no wasteful spending, and very little welfare/entitlements), but lots of protection for individual liberties. They are moderate about most issues, except for being adamant that the majority should not impose its beliefs on the minority.