NationStates Jolt Archive

Democrat: A member or supporter of the Democratic Party

Republican: A member or supporter of the Republican Party

Rightist: An economic term for those preferring a mainly free-market and capitalist society

Leftist: An economic term for those believing that the government should take more taxes in order to socialize certain services and regulate business

Conservative: A social term for those advocating to keep traditional societal norms and keep laws on personal behavior

Liberal: A social term for those advocating change and advancement in societal norms and a great deal of personal freedom

As you can see, Democrats, leftists, and liberals are NOT synonymous, neither are Republican, rightist, conservative. Most Republicans nowadays are conservative rightists, but that is by no means the definition of the party, and Democrats do not by any means fit the opposite - most of them are very centrist on both counts. Democrats are somewhat leftist and Republicans somewhat rightist by their definition, but liberal/conservative have NOTHING to do with the party lines OR economic policy belief. It really bugs me when Democrats and leftists are both called "liberals", especially when the Democrat or leftist in question is undeniably centrist to conservative.

Which is what the political compass shows. And democrats and Republicans only counts in america. Here, its conservative (middle right-wing economics), labour (used to left-wing now more centre-right), and lib dem (dead centre overall). France is different again. As is most every other country in the world.

So lay off with the democrat and republican - they're just boring-ass american too close to differentiate between parties that are both quite right-wing

So what are some dam(n) deffinitons?

dam1 P Pronunciation Key (d m)
n.
1.
a. A barrier constructed across a waterway to control the flow or raise the level of water.
b. A body of water controlled by such a barrier.
2. A barrier against the passage of liquid or loose material, as a rubber sheet used in dentistry to isolate one or more teeth from the rest of the mouth.
3. An obstruction; a hindrance.

damn P Pronunciation Key (d m)
v. damned, damn•ing, damns
v. tr.
1. To pronounce an adverse judgment upon. See Synonyms at condemn.
2. To bring about the failure of; ruin.
3. To condemn as harmful, illegal, or immoral: a cleric who damned gambling and strong drink.
4. To condemn to everlasting punishment or a similar fate; doom.
5. To swear at.


Tell me if my damn definitions are wrong

adding:

And Democracy is the Rule of The Majority, while a Republic is the Rule Of Law. You may have Republics that are NOT democratic.


Also, the name of a political party means little for its alignment. I know this because the Portuguese Social-Democrat Party is center - right wing (while the German social-Democrat party is center - left wing), while our centre left is the Socialist Party, that despite its name, when in goverment, privatized stuff like hell.

So what are Tories?

So what are Tories?
Members of the British conservative party. This thread mainly deals about American politics, because in Holland the Liberals are the rightist people, the conservatives are liberal as well and the leftist are getting some conservative points, really confusing for Americans.

Now I thought Democratic meant something that was characterized, or in support of, Democracy. It would seem that both major American political parties do that.

semantics strikes again.

I love how people try and find a dictionary to prove a point. There's a difference between what words mean literally and what they mean practically. Some examples:
1) Villian means farm tenent. Some guy out in the fields all day.
2) ****** is a perversion of niggard, meaning slothful or lazy.
3) A magazine is a place where you keep artillery ammunition.

It doesn't matter what a dictionary says, it only matters how the word is used. If I called you a ****** because you took 5 minutes to respond to my posts, then techically it would be both true and as offensive as me calling you slow. And yet, I doubt you or anyone would take it that way.

Villian means farm tenent. Some guy out in the fields all day.
That's villain in modern english and villein in olde English.
The reason it came to mean bad guy was probably due to rich people hating poor people at one time in history or another
****** is a perversion of niggard, meaning slothful or lazy.
I though that ****** came from negroe, or possibly Niger, a country in west Africa
A magazine is a place where you keep artillery ammunition.
It's also the other name for a clip in a gun.

Other ones include bitch (female dog) and bastard (person born out of wedlock.

These all may be true, but calling the US Democrats the left is technically wrong: they are almost as right wing as the republican party, on an international scale

Now I thought Democratic meant something that was characterized, or in support of, Democracy. It would seem that both major American political parties do that.

No, that's "democratic". With the capital D, it stands for the party.

I love how people try and find a dictionary to prove a point. There's a difference between what words mean literally and what they mean practically. Some examples:
1) Villian means farm tenent. Some guy out in the fields all day.
2) ****** is a perversion of niggard, meaning slothful or lazy.
3) A magazine is a place where you keep artillery ammunition.

It doesn't matter what a dictionary says, it only matters how the word is used. If I called you a ****** because you took 5 minutes to respond to my posts, then techically it would be both true and as offensive as me calling you slow. And yet, I doubt you or anyone would take it that way.

I don't know what dictionary you have. My dictionary claims that villain has been used to mean a base or depraved person for just as long as it has been used to mean a feudal serf, that ****** is from the Spanish and Portuguese for "black" whereas niggard is Scandanavian in origin, and that magazine has been used to refer to a periodical for over a quarter millenium.

Members of the British conservative party. This thread mainly deals about American politics, because in Holland the Liberals are the rightist people, the conservatives are liberal as well and the leftist are getting some conservative points, really confusing for Americans.

Also heard that term used for the Progressive Conservatives in Canada.

Yeah, doesn't Britain have like 5 large political parties?

Out of 435 Congressmen we have one socialist, and out of 100 Senators we have one liberal independant. All the third party candidates added together got less than 1% of the vote this year. That's the extent of our third parties. :p

And Democracy is the Rule of The Majority, while a Republic is the Rule Of Law. You may have Republics that are NOT democratic.

nah, democracy just means rule by the people (the demos, if you will). this can be constituted in a large number of ways.

and a republic is just a public thing (res publica) with no real indication as to the make-up of the type of rule involved - though typically it excludes monarchies. china is a republic, iran is a republic, etc.

Yeah, doesn't Britain have like 5 large political parties?
Not really. The main three are the Conservatives (Tories), Labour and the Liberal Democrats. There are also minor parties such as the Monster Raving Loony Party, The Green Party, The BNP, UKIP, and lots of others that I can't think of.

Oh, and "Tory" comes from an old meaning for Irish Cattle Thief, I think. It is supposed to be derogatory, as was the other insult for the (at the time) opposition, the Lib Dems, who were called whigs I think.

All the third party candidates added together got less than 1% of the vote this year. That's the extent of our third parties. :p

blame first past the post elections, which pretty much automatically means that there will only be two competitive parties in any particular district. though we could probably have a third major party if anybody ever got around to organizing a culturally reactionary economically left wing party that ran in the states that the democrats have essentially written off.

These all may be true, but calling the US Democrats the left is technically wrong: they are almost as right wing as the republican party, on an international scale
Well, when you plant your flag so far left that any farther would result in you running out of room to stick it, then yes, our parties would look right by comparison.

Well, when you plant your flag so far left that any farther would result in you running out of room to stick it, then yes, our parties would look right by comparison.

what do the democrats stand for that could reasonably be called left-wing in an international sense? hear any calls for abolishing private ownership of the means of production, even just a litle bit? how about a radical expansion of workers' rights? social dividends? anything?

what do the democrats stand for that could reasonably be called left-wing in an international sense? hear any calls for abolishing private ownership of the means of production, even just a litle bit? how about a radical expansion of workers' rights? social dividends? anything?
Basically taxes in the past. That is all the republicans base their argument on really.

Well, when you plant your flag so far left that any farther would result in you running out of room to stick it, then yes, our parties would look right by comparison.
I'm centrist, so don't assume I'm some communist just because you are a serious right winger