Political parties and politicians like to paint themselves with broad brushes. This is probably so that they can appeal to the broadest segments of the population, especially those who are not motivated enough to dig in and understand the finer points of a candidates belief system, or platform – identifying as a liberal or a conservative is one way to signal to potential voters.

But I am aware that fewer and fewer voters and perhaps politicians understand or can articulate what it means to be liberal, or conservative or, in fact, WHY they favor one over the other. Continue reading