There are certain arenas that have long been of interest to the left. Civil rights, unions, welfare, gun control, abortion, health care, human rights, protectionism, insulation from the vagaries of life, secularism, etc. The left has effected many programs in those areas in my lifetime, enacted lots of laws. I think that, in general, those who think we have not gone far enough in them and advocate further change in that direction are "far left." Those who would continue to tweak would be "left." Those who would back off are right of center.
You probably won't find that very satisfying...
Actually, I do find it helpful. Remember I'm not enamored, to put it mildly of the "whose on left and whose on right" conversations. But, on occasion, I love to throw the labels at others or to find them mildly helpful as place holders. That is rather than say x legislator has voted thus and so on the following nineteen issues, it's easier to use some sort of shorthand like left and right. (For some reason, I'm reminded of the old joke about prisoners who grew so tired of one another's jokes they simply numbered them. Someone would shout out number 18 and the cell block would crack up with laughter).
But to be a bit more specific. If you look at positions rather than legislators (since they move around on issues, look at the attempts Tim and I are engaged in about Kerry and Gore), it can be more helpful.
Take abortion as an illustration. I don't consider being pro choice a "radical" position at all; I gather you do. But we can come to some agreement that there is a blanket pro choice position on one end of the spectrum and a blanket anti choice position on the other end (I don't use the term "pro life" because I think the arguments on that side don't take account of women's life and health).
However, if we use those differences to establish ends of a dimension, there are clearly a lot of steps in between. Perhaps they would be defined in terms of O'Connor's "undue burden" arguments; perhaps by the "health of the mother" arguments. But, in general, specific legislators take fairly specific positions on these issues which move them back and forth on the spectrum.
That's why I find it more helpful to do the policy disagreements.
But then there is the consistent policy differences between my guy, Jon Corzine, and, let's say, oh, whatshisname from Oklahoma, Coburn. ;-) |
