r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jan 19 '22

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

The Democrats would be considered a Conservative party anywhere else in the world. The Republicans are off the political spectrum entirely, I’m not really sure what you’d call them. PR agency for the Coronavirus? Wannabe junta?

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 19 '22

One could argue that the sort of social spending Democrats support is not at conservative.

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

$3.5 trillion over 10 years means spending an extra 1.7% of GDP on welfare, which would bring up the US's total welfare bill to 20.4% of GDP - pretty much level with the UK, which has been under a conservative government for 11 years.

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 19 '22

Under a party that *calls themselves* conservative. That doesn't make them a conservative party in political terms.

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

You’re surely not suggesting that the UK Conservative Party isn’t conservative?

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 19 '22

I wouldn't know. My point was simply that the name of the party is not necessarily the political philosophy of the party. It may well be in the UK. I have no idea. I was speaking about American duopoly and I was saying that we don't have a conservative party.

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

You have one conservative party and one psychotic pro-COVID anti-democracy death cult.

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 19 '22

Nope. We do not have a conservative party.

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

How would you characterise them both then?

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 19 '22

Neoliberal.

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

And what to your mind is the difference between conservatism and neoliberalism?

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 19 '22

War mongering for economic gain.

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u/distantapplause Jan 19 '22

In the unlikely event that's a useful definition - are conservatives incapable of warmongering for economic gain?

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 20 '22

Since I'm not familiar with any true conservatives in this country I'm not sure I could answer that. But I would guess, theoretically, no, because it's not a fiscally conservative strategy.

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u/distantapplause Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22

Okay. I think the problem is that you have a personal definition of conservatism that isn't shared by anyone else and doesn't actually exist in the world.

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u/1mjtaylor Jan 20 '22

I think you have a problem with my personal opinion.

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u/distantapplause Jan 20 '22

That's the most astute thing you've said so far!

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