Liberal vs Democrat

A lot of people use the words liberal and democrat interchangeably, however, they are two different things. Liberalism is a political philosophy that promotes individual liberty, equality and freedom of expression. A democrat is an individual who is a member of the Democratic Party, one of the two major political parties in the United States. Democrats tend to support liberal policies, whereas Republicans support conservative ones.

The Democratic Party has long been associated with liberalism, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and subsequent social-democratic platforms that emphasized civil rights for racial minorities and other groups, as well as consumer protection, the environment and progressive taxation. In contrast, Republican philosophy is generally centered around economic libertarianism and social conservatism.

Often, the distinction between Democrats and Republicans is most prominent in terms of their views on the size of government. The majority of Democrats are in favor of a larger government role in economic issues, such as backing regulations and social welfare programs. Republicans, on the other hand, believe that the government should be as small as possible and that it is better to let private companies handle business affairs.

While this distinction is very clear in terms of the two major political parties, there are plenty of individuals who fall somewhere in between. Some may call themselves “liberal,” yet support some conservative policies, while others will be considered “conservative” but identify as a Democrat. This is why there are so many variations in opinion on a variety of topics within the Democratic camp, from pro-choice to anti-gun control to more or less supportive of affirmative action and social programs.