The terms liberal and conservative describe distinct groups in U.S. politics, yet they are hard to define, in part because the two groups disagree on how they see themselves and their opponents.
Barbara Lee said, "It's time to put to bed the myth that this is a conservative nation. Americans are progressive. They believe in the common good, and they want a government that works for everybody, not just the wealthy few." [1]
This quotation from a U.S. liberal defines conservatives as favoring wealthy people over the rest of the country and labels them as opposing the common good. Conservatives, on the other hand, see liberals seeking only the good of special interests (such as teachers over students & parents, workers over employers, single people and homosexuals over married people and families, etc.).
For our Nation, not our Political Alignment
It seems true that, now in 2008 and nearing 2009, it is time for people to stop accentuating the divide between Liberal and Conservative. It is time now for the wedge that has been drive between these two, equally valuable, political ideals to be removed. They are not so incompatible. As long as we can spare the unfortunate and the poor from living on the streets, as long as every person in America is given the opportunities of clothing, shelter, food and water, without discrimination and without malice. There are and always will be some people who are rich and some who aren't, but it is the duty of those who are rich to help their brothers and sisters who are not so fortunate, just as it is the duty of those who are unfortunate to be proactive and work hard in seeking their own fortune. There is no need to be left or right wing. There is only a need to be an American, and a human being. There is no need to discriminate between Christians, Jews, Hindu's or Muslims, their beliefs will not be changed by force, only reason.
The media of this country is much to blame, but they have elicited their desired reaction from Conservatives. They want Conservatism to be even more inaccessible to the average young person, in schools and colleges, they want it to be unacceptable to be Conservative, by pushing Conservatism into a corner. I am not Conservative. I am not Liberal. I am a human being. There should be a national defence mechanism, but it should equally be a transparent one to the people it claims to protect. The restrictions from the most recent US government on people's civil liberties are unacceptable, and inexplicable. As their explanations for war and the September 11th disaster are insufficient. It is time for a dawn of togetherness for America, whether Barack Obama is the man to do this, I am not sure. But there are those who would not even grant him the opportunity to show what he would do.
It is time for Americans to be American and stop quibbling over petty issues. If you have made your mind up on an issue before you hear it, you are a fool. If you take one course of action based solely on your 'political alignment' you are a fool. The wise man will look at each individual issue subjectively, as it should be, seek counsel from others, and then take the course of action which is most logically correct. It is time for less showman and more substance, for less differences and more action. The terrorist threat should not be ignored, but neither should it be exasperated or exaggerated. As a great leader, John F. Kennedy once said, "We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it." [2] Whatever your opinions of JFK, this speech he made is one of his most moving, and if coupled with the final address of President Eisenhower [3], it demonstrates some of the threats which faced America following WWII. From President Eisenhower's farewell address; "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." As they both said, this threat will persist. Where is this threat now? It has not vanished.
We should not underestimate the similarities between the rise of Fascism, the rise of Communism, and the current path of global policies [4]. We should guard against it, and be united as people.
See: Political spectrum