Liberal vs Democrat:

The term “liberal” describes someone who supports point of views that promote equality and freedom. The Democratic Party is made up of individuals with varying beliefs and ideologies, but on the whole they all agree that there can only be true liberty if everyone has access to essential services like healthcare, education and protection from economic injustice.

Traditionally, Democrats are associated with the political philosophy of liberalism, which believes that progress should be made through government intervention and that everyone deserves equal opportunity. As such, they are more supportive of a social safety net, including various government programs and initiatives like free healthcare and progressive taxation, as well as civil rights issues such as LGBTQ rights and racial justice.

In terms of ideology, there are three main types of Democratic voters today: liberals, moderates and conservatives. The most pronounced differences between the three groups are based on race and education. Most liberal Democrats are college graduates, while moderate and conservative Democrats tend to be less educated.

In terms of policy, the biggest area of disagreement between liberal and conservative Democrats is on values-related issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, the death penalty, same-sex marriage and whether climate change is a real threat. However, solid majorities of both liberal and conservative Democrats hold traditional points of view on most other policy areas, with moderates falling somewhere in between. For example, most liberal Democrats believe that the government should do more to protect workers’ rights and environment, while conservatives favor a more limited role for the federal government.