Yesterday, the Center for American Progress had an event releasing two new reports on ideology in America; TAP editor Mark Schmitt was on the panel and I went along for the edification. And, yes, the free lunch. The above graph is the result of an ideological survey of Americans conducted by CAP that shows a broad, left-leaning middle. (Is it strange that conservative Republicans are more conservative than conservatives?) But like Ezra, I think the framing of the questions in the poll are less than useful.
The survey paints free trade, for instance, as a conservative ideal. But liberals are for free trade as well; we just realize that there are costs to open markets that need to be addressed in trade agreements, just as we are for capitalism but realize that there are negative repercussions in that economic system that need to be addressed through government intervention. I also question the analytical usefulness of asking people to agree with a statement like, "Americans should adopt a more sustainable lifestyle by conserving energy and consuming fewer goods," which 80 percent of people agree with. Framing the question that way will get you the results you want, but you have to wonder how people would answer when presented the consequences of that policy in personal terms. Sustainability is definitely a necessary policy goal -- and people do support it even when given a price tag -- but advocates of that agenda shouldn't fool themselves into thinking it will be an easy fight.
Here's another funny graph from the report about what the term "progressive" means -- 8 percent say "more like a conservative"! I've never thought the term "progressive" was useful as anything other than political rhetoric or historical reference, and I'm happy to call myself a liberal. But drawing distinctions over ideological labels is a tricky proposition, and now that there is a bona fide "progressive" movement, it will be interesting to see how it develops distinctions from a) the Democratic Party -- are there progressive Republicans? -- and b) any variety of traditional American conceptions of liberalism.
-- Tim Fernholz
