[Spivak]

If there's an avenue for extrajudicial punishment it seems like every government is angling to use it. How did we wind up with such openly vindictive and unprincipled people in our governments? Like you call yourself Liberals, surely it's clear as day that such a thing isn't compatible with how you believe government should operate. You're doing this because you can't arrest them for a crime—shouldn't that give you pause?

[zmgsabst]

They call themselves Liberals because co-opting a party is easier than starting one and because it’s useful that people think they’re liberal.

But a label doesn’t necessarily match reality — just like North Korea isn’t a democratic republic.

A lot of people have trouble with that concept, eg, thinking that a party called “Liberals” believes in liberal governance.

[hunterpayne]

Liberals believe in things like free speech and equal protection under the law. There isn't a political party in the English speaking world who uses the word 'Liberal' in their name which is actually Liberal. Every single one of them is better described as Socialist or Marxist.

You want to know what a liberal sounds like? Listen to Bill Clinton's speech in the 90s or a current day Republican. Those are liberals.

[senordevnyc]

Pretty amusing to hear someone say that current day Republicans care at all about free speech or equal protection under the law.

[Spivak]

Credit where it's due I think Republicans, people whose political ideology is Republicanism as opposed to the RNC whose dominant political ideology is now Conservatism, can still lay claim to those things. But they are a dying breed aren't they.

[array_key_first]

> Every single one of them is better described as Socialist or Marxist.

I mean, this is just delusional.

Most liberal politicians in the US are slightly center right. And the US is not alone in that.

There's very, very, VERY few marxists out there. What happens is that someone is neoliberal in 99% of circumstances. And then they take a slightly more communal approach to one problem. And now, they're Marxist.

Uh, no. They're neoliberal, they're just not stubborn.

If you're on the US and you advocate, say, single payer healthcare, you're not a Marxist. You can listen to these people. They're staunch capitalists, and they're arguing we should make an exception for this one thing.

That's not Marxism.

[Lio]

> There isn't a political party in the English speaking world who uses the word 'Liberal' in their name which is actually Liberal.

> Every single one of them is better described as Socialist or Marxist.

I’m sorry but that is not true.

E.g. Liberal Party of Australia is a centre right party.