Liberal Values primarily considers social issues and civil liberties issues while taking a more pragmatic as opposed to ideological viewpoint on economic issues and foreign policy. While my bias leans libertarian on government issues, I have also learned that no ideological viewpoint is always correct. Far too often ideology is contradicted by reality but ideologues of all camps attempt to deny this and defend their ideology regardless of the facts.
Liberal Values stresses support for individual liberties, a free market economy, a rational defense policy, separation of church and state, and restoration of the limitations on government power which have been eroded in recent years. (A longer list of liberal values was given in this post.)
Liberal Values returns to the origins of liberalism in stressing liberty, as well as the ideas of the enlightenment in supporting science and reason along with a secular society where everyone is free to practice or not practice the religion of their choice.
Liberal views on freedom as well as an appreciation for science grew out of the enlightenment. Attacks on science and reason represent one of the major problems of the day, primarily from the religious right but sometimes from the left. This includes denial of evolution as a fundamental principle of modern biology and denial of the scientific consensus on climate change. Just as many modern conservatives promote an alternative reality with regards to science, Liberal Values also looks at how they promote an alternative reality with regards to history (such as denying the support for separation of church and state by the founding fathers) and current events.
Liberal Values is more closely affiliated with the liberal as opposed to the conservative blogosphere due to agreement on many, but not all, issues as well as the more reality-based orientation of modern liberals compared to conservatives. This does not mean lock step support for all ideas attributed to liberals or the consensus of viewpoints in the liberal blogosphere.
Liberal Values is independent of political parties. While many liberal blogs see promotion of the Democratic Party as their goal, my goal would be better defined as the promotion of socially liberal values in both parties and support for candidates based upon their individual beliefs. Revival of a strong two party system would provide an additional check on the power of the majority, but this will only come about when the Republicans break free of their control by the religious right and neoconservatives.
I have previously discussed the meaning of liberalism in this post. Other discussions of this follow.
Wikipidia on Liberalism:
Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought.
Broadly speaking, contemporary 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. 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. . .
Liberalism rejected many foundational assumptions which dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, and established religion. Fundamental human rights that all liberals support include the right to life, liberty, and property. Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought, with adherents spanning a large part of the political spectrum.
From the initial post at Liberal Values:
I thought of myself as a values voter before this became an over-discussed topic after the 2004 election. In other words, I sometimes voted based upon my values, even if this conflicted with my economic interests. While this is the often said of recent Republican voters, my situation was the reverse of theirs. By values I did not mean the same thing as those who attributed moral values to conservative Republicans. The values I was concerned with are those values upon which this nation was founded: individual liberty, a Constitutional republic limited by the Bill of Rights and kept in check with separation of powers, religious freedom (including separation of church and state which is necessary to guarantee this), and free enterprise as opposed to corporate welfare and use of government to transfer wealth to the ultra-wealthy.
Recent years have created new challenges for those who hold liberal values. Conservatives demonized the word liberal to often mean big government, and even some liberals forgot the roots of liberalism in liberty. Organizations which have fought for our civil liberties, such as the ACLU, were placed under attack. The religious right has attempted to impose their views on the nation, trying to restrict a woman’s rights to control her own body, limiting stem cell research, and restricting education when scientific knowledge contradicted their fundamentalist views. Following the attacks of 9/11, and the decision of the Bush Administration to play politics rather than act to ensure our nation’s safety, liberals became the advocates of a strong and sensible foreign policy rather than one which weakens our standing in the world and undermines our national security.
In developing this blog I intentionally stressed values rather than the name of a political party. While we are at an unusual moment when one political party has been taken over by extremists of the far right, I recognize that members of one political party do not necessarily have all the answers. It is my hope that this site appeals not only to Democrats, but to socially liberal Republicans who are unhappy with the direction their party is going, as well as to libertarians. I also plan to continue to blog about totally non-political topics from time to time.
Welcome to the Liberal Values Blog.
