What is the “left-right” or “liberal-conservative” line, and whats wrong with it?
Ten years ago the standard view of politics — the mental “map” almost everyone used when thinking of political positions — was the old “left-right” line. It is still widely used today. You’ve probably seen it in textbooks and newspapers. It looks something like this: ß —————left————–center—————right—————à or, when expanded a bit: ß —crazies–communist/socialist–far left–liberal–centrist–conservative–far right–fascist–crazies—à This model is misleading and fatally flawed. It doesnt have a place for many millions of people who dont fit neatly into some variant of liberal or conservative. In effect, it disenfranchises the millions of Americans who dont feel that “left,” “right,” “liberal,” “conservative” etc. accurately describe their views. Thomas Jefferson, for example, wouldnt fit comfortably on that chart under any of those labels. Neither would Jesse Ventura or Huey Long or Pat Buchanan. Americas real political spectrum is more comp
