Do you consider yourself moderate or progressive?

[Phatfish]

I am relatively new to DU. I think I stumbled on this site 6 months ago. I consider myself to be a somewhat moderate liberal in my ways of thought. I am sure I am so-called "right" of many of you fellow DU'ers. Though I have not seen it in my threads or in replies to my posts, I seem to notice quite a few more "seasoned", progressive DU personas attack moderate voices. These were not attacks of ideas as much as attacks of character. I was wondering how you all feel and if you have observed similar actions. Or if you feel I am off-base, then let me know why.

[JohnKleeb]

1. progressive progressive

[JanMichael]

2. I'm not a Moderate by any definition.

I believe in Universal Healthcare, Worker's Rights/Collective Bargaining, Living Wages, Safe Affordable Housing, the Progressive Income Tax, Public Ownership of industries such as Utilities, Public Financing of Elections to make Ideas more powerful than money, Strong Public Schools and a whole host of other radical ideas that are constantly either ignored or attacked by our so called "Moderates".

Go figure:shrug:

[roguevalley]

10. love your beliefs

reminds me of the old daze when things were possible.

[lcordero]

13. I have the same views but I have to add

Pro-Constitution
Pro-Right to Keep and Bear Arms to the point of being against gun control
Pro-medical marijuana(pro-legalization too)
Pro-Public water rights
Pro-Bernie Sanders
:-)

[MisterP]

3. Progressive

[yellowdog]

4. Somewhere to the left of Trotsky,

But I won't attack anyone's character because of what they think.

[SOteric]

5. Progressive.

I don't know which 'attacks' you've seen. But in my experience, they most definitely fling in both directions.

[Maddy McCall]

Well this question started out pretty nicely, but it took a turn south...

when I recognized that it was more of a preachy admonition against "libruls" for attacking moderates' character.

If a moderate or a liberal makes a sexist, racist, or otherwise truly offensive comment, he or she can expect to be corrected by DUers of all flavors.

[Phatfish]

15. i never said the attacks aren't both ways

but to me (I do not read every post, I try when I can but am not always able to) I see more flakk towards the moderates. One example that comes to mind, and without saying any names, is the whole "Was Clinton a liar and was his lie detremental to our contry?" Now I know Democrats and liberals who can answer that question very differently. However, to my recollection, I have seen personal attacks towards those who would say "Yes, he lied and it was not good for our contry." It seems that if you answer the question like that then you are somehow equating Clinton to Jr. to many "left" people. A few of these people seem to then attack the other person for their viewpoint. That has been how I have seen it, and again, I have not read every post and I may have misread something but those are my feelings.

[Cointelpro_Papers]

6. Extremely progressive.

I'm the most liberal person i know.

Yeah i've seen such attacks, but it also goes the other way. Don't take anything on DU personal.

[lcordero]

7. It really depends on what issue

EOM

[MUAD_DIB]

8. I'm a realist.

[roguevalley]

9. I'm an old fashioned Great Society Hubert Humphrey

liberal. I remembered when you could say that and
everyone would nod, yeah. Good for you.

[ForrestGump]

11. I'd like to say moderately progressive, but

that political-spectrum test put me way, way out in Left field, so I guess I'm a pinko, commie, anarchist, capitalist, socialist, centrist, tree-hugging misanthropic, asocial, performing introverted extrovert of a dude.

In other words, I have no idea, but McCarthy would've jailed me. Of course, what passes for commie in the US is what other countries call a moderate.

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. A flaming lefty.

And proud of it!

[mitchum]

14. Socialist

[mvd]

16. I'd definitely say progressive..

as I'm

- Robin Hood-like on taxes (big cut on $100,000 incomes and under, then phase the cuts out and increase on the richest to past Clinton era-levels)

- anti-death penalty (abolition was a high priority before, but now with Bush's wrecking of things I have a few higher priorities: civil rights, foreign policy, health care, enviornment, and taxes)

- strongly against mandatory sentences, but would be harsh on violent or sexual crimes - wanting life imprisonment for egregious cases of child molestation or rape

- pro-peace unless there's an imminent threat - was against the Iraq war and for the conflict in Afghanistan

- limit immigration because of 9/11

- no school vouchers and expand head start - also more college loans

- for a limited form of affirmitive action (where two people are equally qualified)

- pro-choice, although I'd strongly like to see the numbers reduced by education

- for national health care where everyone has insurance, and I'd like to work towards health care being free

- for licensing and registration of guns, but I believe in the right to own guns. I'm not sure I'd ban any (except ones that fire off a certain number of rounds a minute), and I'm open to concealed weapons permits - as long they've been allowed on a property. I could still go either way on concealed weapons, though)

- very civil rights minded - these wouldn't affect me, but I'm for gay marriage and legalization of marijuana on principle

- pro-union and anti-NAFTA

- I'm an enviornment before business type of person

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. You mean you haven't noticed people being called Marxists

and far fringed leftists? In 6 months you hadn't noticed that including at the start of the war and in all the "support the troops" threads?

I think you probably missed a couple threads.

I am a liberal. In my home state, I am considered a moderate and have worked with both sides of the aisle on policy matters. It wasn't until I began posting at DU I learned that if you favor keeping abortion legal, favor equal rights and pay for women, favor greater accountability of the military industrial complex, favor raising the minimum wage and favor labor unions you are a far fringed leftist. It used to just be called a Democrat.

[leftyandproud]

18. I never liked that word

I know many people prefer 'progressive', but I prefer "LIBERAL"
nothing to be ashamed of
!!!

[PittPoliSci]

21. damn right!

liberal and proud here!

[mvd]

24. Same here

I'll answer a question that uses progressive, but I prefer liberal. And I'm very proud of the term!

[bookman]

19. I'm like you...

...I think of myself as a moderate liberal.

[PittPoliSci]

20. i consider myself liberal.

i think "progressive" is a term that liberals came up with to sound somewhat more moderate than liberal. since the word liberal has been demonized so much by the media.

[lkinsale]

22. Flaming Moderate, proud of it

*curtsy*

[cherryperry]

23. I'm new, too

I don't know the answer to your question, but I've found that whenever someone perceives more attacks against their own position, it's just that those are the ones that seem to stick with ya.

BTW, I am a left-wing progressive who definitely would have spent most of the 1950's being hauled in front of McCarthy's various HUAC committees!

[jonnyblitz]

25. anti-capitalist., anti-authoritarian, anti-religion..not sure exactly what

I could classify myself as. Put it this way, I think Bill Clinton is a right winger.

[LeftCoast]

26. Progressive

at the very least. :)

[MrScorpio]

27. Progressives are sexier...

I know, cause I'm one

[deek]

28. absolutely n/t

.

[Piperay]

29. I am a Moderate who is also

progressive but I lean more toward the moderate side.

[DemExpat]

30. Very much a Moderate...with some extremely liberal ideas

on a few selected issues.

DemEx

[Darranar]

31. Progressive liberal...

left, left, left

[MissMillie]

32. Ummm.... right in between, I guess.

Now, that's funny, if you think about it.