Sunday, October 09, 2005

Only By Definition

Conservative ~ con·ser·va·tive adj.

Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change; avoiding excess; unimaginatively conventional; Of or relating to
treatment by gradual, limited, or well-established procedures; not radical

Liberal ~ lib·er·al adj.

Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or
authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

Independent ~ in·de·pen·dent adj.

One that is independent, especially a voter, officeholder, or political candidate who is not committed to a political party

Democracy ~ de·moc·ra·cy noun

government by the people; especially : rule of the majority; a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections; a political unit that has a democratic government.

Democrat ~ dem·o·crat adj.

An advocate of democracy; a member of the Democratic Party

Republican ~ re·pub·li·can adj.

One who favors a republic as the best form of government; a
member of the Republican Party of the United States.

Republic ~ re·pub·lic noun

a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them; a form of government
whose head of state is not a monarch; "the head of state in a republic is
usually a president"; A nation or state governed by the people; a republic

Given the above definitions, found on Dictionary.com it would appear that our president is not a conservative, nor is he a liberal. He is not honoring either the Republican Party or the Democratic party I looked in the dictionary for some words that might describe our dear President Bush(which my mother coined him “The Shrub”) so this is what I came up with (the first 3 are from Politics Glossary):

unilateralism ~ u·ni·lat·er·al·ism noun

a government acting on it's own, in it's own best interests. This would be opposed to going to the United Nations, to act jointly with other nations, on international principles designed to benefit "the many".

plutocracy ~ plu·toc·ra·cy noun pl.

the rule of the wealthy.

absolutism ~ ab·so·lut·ism noun

the principle or the exercise of complete and unrestricted
power in government.

Apathetic ~ ap·a·thet·ic adj.

Feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern;
indifferent. Feeling or showing little or no emotion; unresponsive

Corrupt ~ cor·rupt adj.

To destroy or subvert the honesty or integrity of; having an unlawful or evil motive; especially : characterized by improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another.

So with all those definitions, where do you see yourself? I myself am mostly a liberal, with some conservative views. I am an independent, although I am registered as a democrat.