Of course, the obligatory disclaimer: The following is my opinion. I merely intend to provide a clearer picture, a definition of terms if you will. I believe that it is important, before starting a discussion, to agree upon the terms that will be used. So here we go...
History and Ideology
The idea of the Left and Right wing comes from the French Revolution: the revolutionaries who favored secularism sat to the left of the president/speaker of the National Assembly and the loyalists who supported the monarchy and favored traditions to the right. After the revolution, the trend continued in each of the incarnations of government throughout France's torrid political history. This idea spread to other countries in Europe and the world. However, what is considered Left and Right can vary from country to country.
In today's U.S., we have no monarchy to wish to maintain or revolt from so where do we draw the distinction? We must once again define terms and see where we lie on the spectrum. The Left in the 20th century is heavily influenced by FDR's New Deal and Keynesian economics which posits that the State be used to regulate the inequality produced by capitalism. The Right is influenced by the economists Friedman and Hayek which favored the "invisible hand" of the market and certain thinkers that favored the notion of personal responsibility.
In a Nutshell
The Left is generally associated with the interests of the lower economic and social classes while the Right is generally associated with the interests of the upper economic and social classes.
The Left:
Social Rights
Minority Rights
Pro-Choice
Public Investment in infrastructure and social programs
Publicly funded universities
Single payer healthcare system
Progressive tax rates
Participatory government
Decrease spending in military
The Right:
Property Rights
Immigration Control
Deregulation
Free Markets
Pro-Life
Tax cuts
Increase spending on military and police
Decrease spending on social programs
Privatization of public sector
Private/Charter schools
Role of the State
The Left assumes creating a better society will pave way to a better quality of life for the individual. It hopes to achieve this by encouraging a strong central government that can act as a counterweight to social and economic inequalities produced by elitism and capitalism. The State should be secular which means it should protect the individual freedoms of its citizens by providing no special status to any particular group.
The Right assumes the success of the individual will pave way to a better society. It hopes to achieve this by decreasing government control of economic factors through privatization and deregulation. The State should rather increase its spending on police and military to preserve law and order and protection both domestically and internationally.
How do political parties compare?
The Overton window, the ideas allowed in public discourse, has moved significantly to the Right in the United States. For example, in Europe healthcare is thought of as a right by both the Left and the Right on their political spectrum however in the U.S., Democrats(who consider themselves to be on the Left) are divided between healthcare as a right or more "affordable" private healthcare. The Democrats in congress vote so often for Republican legislation that the differences are found on social issues(and even then, they tend to fall in line).
The U.S. functions as a duopoly between the Democrats and the Republicans. Other parties exist but the rules are such that it is almost impossible for any of them to be viable on a national scale. Although the rhetoric in the U.S. presents the Democrats as being on the Left and the Republicans as being on the Right, compared to First World countries, both are on the Right. The Democrats are Center-Right where as the Republicans are Far-Right on the international stage.
Do You feel Offended?
So you're a Democrat and are hurt that on the international stage you are a Right winger? Do you disagree? Check the voting records of top Dems in congress or Presidents like Clinton and Obama. You will find that they have more in common with Ronald Reagan than they do with FDR.
So you're a Republican and are offended that internationally you are considered far right? Well, you're last two Presidents are George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump. If that doesn't unsettle you, there isn't much more to say. But hey, at least you beat the Dems for the presidential bid with a reality TV star, am I right?
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