The rightwing considers moderates to be left-wingers.
Like Zell Miller calling Clinton a "far leftist". That's a ridiculous self-serving exaggeration without basis in fact.
Rightwingers consider anyone but Joe Lieberman who's a democrat to be a liberal. That is just not true. As we know from the Dem primaries, there is a difference between the Howard Dean style liberals and those who are centrists like Kerry, Gephardt and Edwards. Lieberman is a hybrid, both a conservative and a liberal, depending on which issues you are talking about. On some issues he is just as conservative as anyone in the GOP.
Kerry is also a hybrid. He left behind much of his liberal loyalties starting in around 1992 where he moved to the center along with the DLC. That means he's fiscally conservative, moderate on foreign policy, welfare and taxes, but liberal on the environment.
As for abortion and gay rights, both polarizing issues, there is a difficult middle ground. That would be where one is anti-abortion on an emotional, religous and personal level, but pro womens rights on a legal level. In other words, womens rights trump the moral and emotional aspects beause church does not rule state/law in this country.
So you say "Though I regret all abortions, let it be very rare, but safe and legal when necessary". A left-winger would say "abortions are a personal matter, to hell with the church and it's none of your business to even question my right to have one if I want to". |
