I've been thinking a lot about ideology recently, specifically about what exactly it means to be a liberal/progressive/leftist. We're often accused of being for "Big Government" because of the social programs and government regulations that we've put in place.
But for me, being a liberal has always been about freedom. After all, "Liberal" and "Liberty" come from the same latin root: "liber" meaning choice. And throughout history we liberals have fought to protect and expand individual rights. It was the left that insisted that we include a bill of rights in the constitution, it was the left that led the abolition movement, the workers' rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, and most recently the gay rights movement. It was defined for me early on in a textbook somewhere that a liberal ideology was one that believed in "indiviual freedom and economic equality." This is a pretty good summary, but it's more complicated than that.
I think that we liberals are much more likely to be at odds with eachother on the issues than other ideologies. Some of us support NAFTA and other Free Trade agreements (Al Gore, Paul Krugman), while others so fervently oppose those agreements, that it supercedes all other issues (Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader).
My ex-girfriend and I both consider ourselves to be pretty far to the left, but while we were dating, it soon became apparant that we didn't really agree on any issue. Areas where I swing right, she swings left, and where she swings right, I swing left. And perhaps the downfall of our relationship began when I said something about early hominids, and she replied in an uneasy voice, "Oh, I guess that means you believe in evolution, don't you?"
Why is it that there are so many differences amonst us? Based on observations of comments and diaries here at dailykos, and of other liberals I've met, I've separated the left into the following categories:
The Religious Left:
This is the remnant of the William Jennings Brian Democratic Party. They swing left on economic issues, supporting labor unions, and opposing free trade agreements that take away american jobs. They want universal healthcare and social security. But they get uncomfortable with the left on some social issues like abortion, gay marriage, drug legalization, and most of all they get disgusted with "secular fundamentalists" (a phrase used by someone here at dkos) who are always trying to take "God" out of the government, and force schools to teach that Evil-ution. ;^)
The word Populism probably resonates the most with these people's ideology. (example: Dick Gephardt)
The Hippie Left
The freedom aspect of the left resonates the most in this group. You could further sub-divide this group into "druggie" hippies, and "wellness" hippies. The latter is the type that only buys organic food, and is likely to be vegetarian. Hippies stand for liberal social issues like peace, eliminating the draft, civil rights, drug legalization, and same-sex marriages. They're also intensly anti-Nafta, but for slightly different reasons than the religious left. For hippies, it's not so much about keeping jobs in America as it is about working conditions and environmental protection.
The "Moderate" left
These are the people the Democratic party is always pandering to. They like to think of themselves as independents who don't buy into ideology, and instead think about "what makes sense." They're more likely to support NAFTA and are more hawkish than other liberals. Many of them supported the decision to go to war in Iraq, but think Bush did a lousy job of it. They're for multi-lateralism. (example: Bill Clinton)
The Latte Left
Here are the intellectuals, college professors, and scholars. In his book, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" Thomas Frank talks about how the Right has won the heart of the common americans by labeling the left as snooty coast-dwelling latte drinkers. This is the rich, educated left that likes to read foreign newspapers and listens to NPR. They're sort of like grown up hippies, being both liberal on social and economic issues. The only difference may be that intellectual liberals might be for free-trade for philosophical reasons.
The Equality Left
This is the "you're no better than me" Left. They oppose homeschooling and private schools because they say it creates a sense of superiority amongst the people who choose that route. They support the Draft because it promotes equality and fairness. Plus, it'll educate people about the horrors of war.
The truth is, the left is a turbulent loose alliance amongst people who hate republicans. And it's no wonder that the Democratic party sometimes seems weak, indecisive, and lacks backbone because Democrats often disagree with each other. Which part of the left are you?