And that's what foreigners don't understand, how the far right is closer to authoritarian than international centrism, and the supposedly called "really far left" (e.g. Bernie Sanders) is closer to european/Canadian centrism.
Right on the second point, but the American Right is not authoritarian. We want LIMITED government and more personal freedom.
It is Obama who has ruled by executive order for seven years, and he is neither Rightwing nor Centrist.
...ummmm no the word has changed... Quite drastically actually... It pisses me off that that's still taught in civics class but it's not true. Watch one of the debates from the Republican side and you'll see its no longer a question of government size but rather what we use it for. And let me be clear, their is an authoritarian left and right. It's just the authoritarian right is just more prominent in the party it belongs to.
E.g. A large part of the Republican base wanting to ban muslims (I think its a majority by this point) or a large part of Republicans still wanting to ban gay marriage, both of which would require HUGE gov. Also military which they want to "rebuild" (we still spend more than the next 9 countries combined so I don't know what we're rebuilding) which is already the largest part of the gov by the numbers.
You can believe in small gov, but that wouldn't be modern conservatism. That would be"traditional Republican" at least that's what me and friends call it.
Sorry, no you've been taught wrong. The current Republican "establishment" class in Washington is whatever they are, but they are not Conservatives. Too many people conflate the term "conservative", which is an ideology, with the term "Republican", which is a party name. Same on the left side too.
Yes you are right that modern Republicans think a large and intrusive government is just fine as long as they are the ones controlling it. But reread my comment; I said " limited" government. The overall size is irrelevant to how much the statists intrude upon and control our lives. And yes, both sides have authoritarian statists, but the overwhelming majority of Republicans are not, they just think they can run a large government better than the Dems.
As I said, no, the authoritarian right you mention are not more prominent. What do you call Obama signing executive order after executive order and saying he doesn't care what Congress says if you do not call that authoritarian?
And I said that's not true anymore. That was the original meaning of the word, but its changed. Quite drastically actually. Like how conservatives use to be on the Dem side more than Republican side (switched with LBJ). And the beliefs have changed. And I'm pretty sure the ideologies should be described by what the majority of self-described people who follow it say they believe. Think small government should be the answer, and for some things I'd agree with you, like how drugs shouldn't be banned.
You know executive orders only effect the federal beacracy (sorry I spelt that wrong) right? Not only that, they would get smacked down by the supreme court if they're unconstitutional, he can't do anything with non-discretionary spending, and and he also has the complete right to do it. They aren't laws, not even close. It's like a CEO giving an order for his company. Using his veto for overturning repels of Obama care is something he's allowed to do. Not to mention the Republicans have broken the fill-a-buster record BY FUCKING MILES.
And there absolutely is no "large part of the Republican base" who want to ban Muslims. Even Trump has not said that. He said we might need to look at stopping immigration TEMPORARILY until we can figure out how to better separate the terrorists from the rest.
And again, you have like 40% of Republicans supporting trump. If he isn't authoritarian I don't know what is. Actually he's past authoritarian, he's a fascist.
TRUMP COMMERICAL SAID"A TEMPORARY BAN OF MUSLIMS" THAT'S STILL A FUCKIN BAN BASED OFF OF RELIGION WHICH NOT ONLY IS AUTHORITARIAN WITH HIS SCAPE GOATING BUT ALSO IS AGAINST THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
No executive orders do not only effect the government. Nothing the government does only effects themselves. We all live with the consequences.
And sorry, Democrats have never been conservative. Yes they were less radical before Kennedy's assassination but conservative? No.
I'm sorry you're ignorant to history if you think that.
The parties used to be more mixed, yes, but when people say "the KKK was made by the democrats" its true. At a minimum the Dixie-crats in the south during LBJ's time where INCREDIBLY racist and flocked to the Republicans after LBJ signed the voting rights act.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, written and passed by Democrat-controlled Congress and signed into law by a Democrat president. (Truman)
"Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by president. Whenever the president finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, the president may, by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate."
This was used in 1979 by President Carter, a Democrat, to ban Iranian immigrants and to deport nearly two million already here.
Let us not forget the Japanese Americans who were rounded up and put in concentration camps during WWII by President Roosevelt, a Democrat. Tell me again how evil and racist the Republicans are.
Sorry, no. Who signed the civil rights act of 1957? I believe that would have been Eisenhower, a Republican. So what Johnson was dragged into signing a small concession, that does not change history.
Sorry not voting civil rights act, voting rights act. (if I got that wrong again Im sorry, but I know for a fact they switched under LBJ)
And firstly the modern day Republican is completely different from all of those people.
Also FDR would be considered MASSIVELY LIBERAL except that one exception, which is a big exception, but still an exception. Additionally, on the Dem side, while many people would call them liberals, because the Republicans have continued to drag the spectrum in their favor. Neither of the Clintons are liberals, they're centrist at best and a blue-dog Democrats more realistically. I don't know about Carter.
And no Republicans are not bad by definition. But its just a plurality-majority of Republicans aren't what you would consider conservative.
I would compare Carter probably more to Sanders than say, Obama or Slick Willie or The Pantsuit. Carter leaned kinda socialist, but was very much out of his element; absolutely no leadership ability.
And you are absolutely correct that a vast majority of Republicans (speaking of politicians, not your average voter) are not conservative in the least. In fact, a convincing argument could be made that the Republican party really has never been conservative since it's inception, although the notion of conservatism as a political ideology really only goes back to Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and William F Buckley in the late fifties/early sixties. Republicans as a party hated Goldwater and hated Reagan, even through both of Reagan's terms. Even still today the establishment Republicans blame their resounding loss in '64 on Goldwater's conservative ideas, even though no one could have beaten LBJ after Kennedy's assassination.
For those who don't know, Kennedy was very popular, he had just been killed in '63, Johnson was his vice president, and the country was still in mourning and had a lot of good will for Johnson since he was part of the Kennedy administration. There was no possible way he could lose.
Not only do the Republicans still not understand that, and don't remember that Reagan had two landslide victories with the same platform Goldwater used, but they still point to Goldwater's defeat more than 50 years ago as "proof" that conservatism won't work today.
It is Obama who has ruled by executive order for seven years, and he is neither Rightwing nor Centrist.
I'll just say "agreed".
E.g. A large part of the Republican base wanting to ban muslims (I think its a majority by this point) or a large part of Republicans still wanting to ban gay marriage, both of which would require HUGE gov. Also military which they want to "rebuild" (we still spend more than the next 9 countries combined so I don't know what we're rebuilding) which is already the largest part of the gov by the numbers.
Yes you are right that modern Republicans think a large and intrusive government is just fine as long as they are the ones controlling it. But reread my comment; I said " limited" government. The overall size is irrelevant to how much the statists intrude upon and control our lives. And yes, both sides have authoritarian statists, but the overwhelming majority of Republicans are not, they just think they can run a large government better than the Dems.
And sorry, Democrats have never been conservative. Yes they were less radical before Kennedy's assassination but conservative? No.
The parties used to be more mixed, yes, but when people say "the KKK was made by the democrats" its true. At a minimum the Dixie-crats in the south during LBJ's time where INCREDIBLY racist and flocked to the Republicans after LBJ signed the voting rights act.
"Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by president. Whenever the president finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, the president may, by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate."
This was used in 1979 by President Carter, a Democrat, to ban Iranian immigrants and to deport nearly two million already here.
Let us not forget the Japanese Americans who were rounded up and put in concentration camps during WWII by President Roosevelt, a Democrat. Tell me again how evil and racist the Republicans are.
And firstly the modern day Republican is completely different from all of those people.
Also FDR would be considered MASSIVELY LIBERAL except that one exception, which is a big exception, but still an exception. Additionally, on the Dem side, while many people would call them liberals, because the Republicans have continued to drag the spectrum in their favor. Neither of the Clintons are liberals, they're centrist at best and a blue-dog Democrats more realistically. I don't know about Carter.
And no Republicans are not bad by definition. But its just a plurality-majority of Republicans aren't what you would consider conservative.
And you are absolutely correct that a vast majority of Republicans (speaking of politicians, not your average voter) are not conservative in the least. In fact, a convincing argument could be made that the Republican party really has never been conservative since it's inception, although the notion of conservatism as a political ideology really only goes back to Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and William F Buckley in the late fifties/early sixties. Republicans as a party hated Goldwater and hated Reagan, even through both of Reagan's terms. Even still today the establishment Republicans blame their resounding loss in '64 on Goldwater's conservative ideas, even though no one could have beaten LBJ after Kennedy's assassination.
Not only do the Republicans still not understand that, and don't remember that Reagan had two landslide victories with the same platform Goldwater used, but they still point to Goldwater's defeat more than 50 years ago as "proof" that conservatism won't work today.
Especially since I don't think we are really that far apart on our opinions.