Where American Political Parties Lay on the Global Left-Right Spectrum

[iluvatar5150]

Interesting analysis here:
Opinion | What Happened to America’s Political Center of Gravity?

The Republican Party leans much farther right than most traditional conservative parties in Western Europe and Canada, according to an analysis of their election manifestos. It is more extreme than Britain’s Independence Party and France’s National Rally (formerly the National Front), which some consider far-right populist parties. The Democratic Party, in contrast, is positioned closer to mainstream liberal parties.

These findings are based on data from the Manifesto Project, which reviews and categorizes each line in party manifestos, the documents that lay out a group’s goals and policy ideas. We used the topics that the platforms emphasize, like market regulation and multiculturalism, to put them on a common scale.

The resulting scores capture how the groups represent themselves, not necessarily their actual policies.

 

[Pommer]

 

[Occams Barber]

Interesting analysis here:
Opinion | What Happened to America’s Political Center of Gravity?

View attachment 258700

As an outsider none of this is surprising. I have always seen American political parties as collectively shifted well to the right compared to the Australian spectrum. From what I know of the UK spectrum the same applies. I'm less familiar with Europe but I get the impression that they are also similar - particularly the Scandinavian countries.

As an example, our right wing (the Liberal Party) supports the idea of government managed, single payer, universal healthcare and a range of social safety net programs which would probably qualify as 'socialism' in a US context. The left (Labor Party) obviously also supports these programs. Left/Right disagreement would typically be based on the level of funding and entry qualification rather than the programs themselves. In broad terms the right is seen as the party of (small) business while the left has strong ties with Trade Unions.

Like the US, our right leans Christian, but to nowhere near the same extent as the US right. This reflects the country as whole, where Christianity is not seen as particularly important. In the last Census 52% self identified as Christian but very few of those are active participants.

OB

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

One would think that a “global” spectrum ought to include more than just North America and Europe

 

[Radagast]

The Republican Party leans much farther right than most traditional conservative parties in Western Europe and Canada

That's always been true: traditionally the right-wing parties in Australia have had very similar policies to the Democrats.

However, as the article points out, the Democrats seem to have steadily been moving further left in recent times.

 

[Radagast]

One would think that a “global” spectrum ought to include more than just North America and Europe

That too. I'm astonished that Australia and NZ aren't included. And that still wouldn't make it "global."

 

[Radagast]

View attachment 258704

Ironically, that cartoon says the complete opposite to what the NY Times analysis says. In fact, the Republicans are in the about same place, but the Democrats have moved further left.

 

[Pommer]

Ironically, that cartoon says the complete opposite to what the NY Times analysis says. In fact, the Republicans are in the about same place, but the Democrats have moved further left.

So Ike was about as far to the Right as is Trump?
Have you ever seen the 1956 Republican platform?

 

[Radagast]

So Ike was about as far to the Right as is Trump?
Have you ever seen the 1956 Republican platform?

I was talking about recent movement, which the cited article discusses.

If you want to go way back in time, the Democrats used to be the pro-slavery party, so they've actually moved even further.

 

[MorkandMindy]

The resulting scores capture how the groups represent themselves, not necessarily their actual policies.

That graph shows Hillary Clinton to the Left of Donald Trump. Their actions show otherwise, but I don't think either of them wanted to make a big thing out of it as that would risk losing their own core supporters and with it the election.

 

[MorkandMindy]

As for actual policies (bold in the OP) Hillary Clinton spoke personally to a dozen banks for large fees reassuring them that, basically she was their 'man'. Given the activities of the banks over the last 100 years that would scare the socks off any socialist, and indeed any sane person on the planet.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Ironically, that cartoon says the complete opposite to what the NY Times analysis says. In fact, the Republicans are in the about same place, but the Democrats have moved further left.

The analysis is of stated policies, not actions. I haven’t noticed a significant shift in Republican platforms, despite their increasingly nutty behavior.

 

[PaddyLaw9269]

As an outsider none of this is surprising. I have always seen American political parties as collectively shifted well to the right compared to the Australian spectrum. From what I know of the UK spectrum the same applies. I'm less familiar with Europe but I get the impression that they are also similar - particularly the Scandinavian countries.

As an example, our right wing (the Liberal Party) supports the idea of government managed, single payer, universal healthcare and a range of social safety net programs which would probably qualify as 'socialism' in a US context. The left (Labor Party) obviously also supports these programs. Left/Right disagreement would typically be based on the level of funding and entry qualification rather than the programs themselves. In broad terms the right is seen as the party of (small) business while the left has strong ties with Trade Unions.

Like the US, our right leans Christian, but to nowhere near the same extent as the US right. This reflects the country as whole, where Christianity is not seen as particularly important. In the last Census 52% self identified as Christian but very few of those are active participants.

OB

I'm shocked to hear this many people genuinely believe that the American political spectrum has shifted to the right. In reality, things have shifted SO FAR to the LEFT, culturally speaking, that it has caused a resurgence of conservatism in response. Yes, things have shifted conservative as far as voter outcome (at least from 2016 to present) in the US and the UK. But I can promise you it's a response to the fact that the "acceptable beliefs" in the public sphere have shifted massively to the far left. Transgender children, pedophilia, racism... these are the tenets of the modern American and English left.

 

[FireDragon76]

I'm shocked to hear this many people genuinely believe that the American political spectrum has shifted to the right. In reality, things have shifted SO FAR to the LEFT, culturally speaking, that it has caused a resurgence of conservatism in response. Yes, things have shifted conservative as far as voter outcome (at least from 2016 to present) in the US and the UK. But I can promise you it's a response to the fact that the "acceptable beliefs" in the public sphere have shifted massively to the far left. Transgender children, pedophilia, racism... these are the tenets of the modern American and English left.

I've lived in both the US and Europe, and European politics is far more to the left than in the US. That is probably due to the influence of religion in America vs. Europe.

 

[Occams Barber]

I'm shocked to hear this many people genuinely believe that the American political spectrum has shifted to the right. In reality, things have shifted SO FAR to the LEFT, culturally speaking, that it has caused a resurgence of conservatism in response. Yes, things have shifted conservative as far as voter outcome (at least from 2016 to present) in the US and the UK. But I can promise you it's a response to the fact that the "acceptable beliefs" in the public sphere have shifted massively to the far left. Transgender children, pedophilia, racism... these are the tenets of the modern American and English left.

Hello Paddy - welcome to CF.

I'm not sure why you tacked your answer under my post since I expressed no opinion about the US moving to the right. My point was that US politics are much further to the right when compared to Australian politics. I used "socialist" health care as an example.
There are other examples I could quote.

Putting that aside, it seems to me that you've acknowledged that the US has shifted to the right in response to what you regard as a response to a leftist shift in "acceptable beliefs".

I'm not clear about your reasoning - how are transgender children, paedophilia and racism all "acceptable beliefs"? Are you suggesting that the US left supports all three?

OB

 

[PaddyLaw9269]

I've lived in both the US and Europe, and European politics is far more to the left than in the US. That is probably due to the influence of religion in America vs. Europe.

Yes, you're right, Europe is much further left than the US. But that doesn't mean that the US HASN'T moved very far to the left (at least by the standards of the last three decades)

 

[FireDragon76]

Yes, you're right, Europe is much further left than the US. But that doesn't mean that the US HASN'T moved very far to the left (at least by the standards of the last three decades)

It seems to me the Republican party has drifted father right than the Democrats have drifted left.

 

[PaddyLaw9269]

Hello Paddy - welcome to CF.

I'm not sure why you tacked your answer under my post since I expressed no opinion about the US moving to the right. My point was that US politics are much further to the right when compared to Australian politics. I used "socialist" health care as an example.
There are other examples I could quote.

Putting that aside, it seems to me that you've acknowledged that the US has shifted to the right in response to what you regard as a response to a leftist shift in "acceptable beliefs".

I'm not clear about your reasoning - how are transgender children, paedophilia and racism all "acceptable beliefs"? Are you suggesting that the US left supports all three?

OB

I probably did that because I've never used this site before. Though I may have misread your post. If you're comparing it to Australian politics, then that makes more sense. Personally, I don't feel like the US has moved any further to the political right whatsoever in recent years. Though, from the limited knowledge I have of Australia, it would make sense that they lean pretty left.

When it comes to transgender children and pedophilia, I'm saying that those are being pushed by our media and entertainment industries as 'acceptable' things, absolutely. When I said 'racism', I was referring to the fact that racism against White/Caucasian/European people is not only tolerated, but it's becoming encouraged by the loud voices on the far left in the States. So yes, the US "left" is more and more being pressured by small groups to tolerate pedophilia, encourage transgenderism at any age, and hold the belief that racism against white people is a fantasy.

 

[PaddyLaw9269]

It seems to me the Republican party has drifted father right than the Democrats have drifted left.

Well, I'm truly sorry it seems that way. The mainstream media certainly does a good job of making it seem that way, especially when they show Nazis on the news and pretend that there's a big rise in their numbers... meanwhile pretending ANTIFA are just peaceful protesters. I don't know many conservatives who hold beliefs more "extreme" than they did 10 and 15 years ago. But when it comes to leftists? I personally know two handfuls who have moved from "I'm a moderate" to "I'm a communist and I hate white people and straight people" in a matter of four years.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Putting all the Republicans in one neat little circle and all the Democrats in another neat little circle means you don't need primaries since they are all the same anyway.

I consider that chart more misleading than helpful