Liberal vs Democrat

A liberal, in terms of political ideology, is someone who believes in liberalism. A Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party and supports the ideas associated with that political party.

Generally speaking, liberals believe in the idea of government helping to promote social and economic justice. They also believe in personal freedoms such as free speech and gender equality.

In the United States, modern liberal ideas started to form in the 20th century. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Harry Truman’s Fair Deal, John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier, and Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society were landmark liberal programs that influenced the country.

While Democrats are often seen as being more liberal than Republicans, the truth is that the parties are pretty far apart on many issues. For instance, Democratic-aligned groups overwhelmingly favor a larger government with more services, while Republican-aligned groups prefer a smaller government that is less involved in the economy.

Another point of difference is the view on abortion. While the majority of Democrats support abortion rights, Republicans oppose the practice entirely. Lastly, Democrats support embryonic stem cell research while Republicans have taken a hard line against it. Over time, it seems that the left and right are moving further apart, and that middle ground is becoming more elusive than ever before. This trend is reflected in the growing percentage of Americans who identify as liberal, which reached 50 percent in 2022. That same year, the percentage of people who identified as moderate or conservative remained about the same.