How many people have both left and right wing views?

For example, how rare would it be to find a person that might be anti-immigration but at the same time be anti-gun? Would it be possible for a person to have one strong conservative view and have one strong liberal view? Do these kind of people exist at all? I have yet to meet anybody that does.

Overall, probably 80% of the American population shares some of both.

a reply to: xuenchen

80%?? You really think its that high?

a reply to: Marcus069

Who is anti-immigration?

I am anti-"illegal" immigration. But then again, I think people should respect a nations sovereignty.

a reply to: Marcus069

Most people have both socialist & capitalist views, whether they realize it or not.

Like by sending there kids to public school, but at the same time being against any federal government regulations that effect them personally... just one out of many examples.

originally posted by: Marcus069
a reply to: xuenchen

80%?? You really think its that high?

Yes, because if you compare the general policies of both main parties, you will find over time both have about 80% similarities.

Only a few details between both "sides" on a national government level exist.

Some local levels have bigger differences.

The "extremists" on both sides make up about 20%, and the follow a standard bell curve.

I give you my views.

Atheist
Pro gun
Pro gay marriage
Pro drug legalization

Anti illegal immigration
Minimal social programs

The world is not black and white

I do, and Im forced to think, after much debate in my head that my vote will go to Trump. Only because I know he is a workaholic and we need his greediness, not her do nothing self and moral/ political crimes. Trump to me is foul but Hillary to me is grossly disgusting, Ill take the foul.

But would anyone say that a member of the Tea Party would have a liberal view in something?

a reply to: Marcus069

I don't consider myself a right wing or left wing. They threatened a lot of people's civil rights.

a reply to: Marcus069

Why not?

You can be against high taxes and be for gay marriage.

You can be for smaller government and for legalization.

You can be anti-bathroom laws and pro 2nd Amendment.

I am.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: Marcus069
You can be anti-bathroom laws and pro 2nd Amendment.

I am.

Anti-bathroom!?!

So what, you just do your business in a hole in the backyard then? Shower outback with the garden hose?

I've no idea why a person would be hostile against "bathrooms"... but its quite a statement, none the less.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

hahahaha

You are joking, right?

a reply to: Marcus069
Hmm, lets do a measured test. I will post some of my strongest views, and see where that puts me.

• Strong 2nd Amendment Support
  
• Immigration does not really upset me
  
• Universal healthcare would be nice someday
  
• maybe some subsidized college
  
• Im ok with gay marriage
  
• I want to destroy Political Correctness
  
• Transgender people being humored in their mental illness bothers me, especially when schools and governments try to push it onto the children in schools. This one really fires me up
  
• Mandatory health insurance pisses me off
  
• I want a return to actually funding programs before making them law
  
• Homosexual propoganda on tv is going too far
  
• online adult content should be opt in system on a seperated domain innaccessible to minors without a universal domain login
  
• I think we need to end some federal agencies that are bloating our budget
  
• It is time to stop providing any kind of military aid to nations that have had an air force for at least 30 years
  
• War on drugs needs to end, but only marijuana should be legalized
  
• Tie to acknowledge the role the pharmaceutical industry plays on corrupting the minds of our citizens and likely contributing to violent behavior
  

Thats a lot of stuff. Very mixed up too. Some online polls have placed me as a centrist. But I will sacrifice it all to maintain the 2nd amendment is never stepped on or repealed by new wave communist infiltraitors like HRC.

a reply to: Bluntone22 DITTO !

You can't fly at all with only one wing.

a reply to: Marcus069
Hi there. I am a Catholic, and hard core against abortion. My other strong political tendencies are environmentalism and programs to aid the poor. Is this the type of dichotomy you mean?

a reply to: worldstarcountry

thats a lot of stuff there, but I am just talking about the strong views, like Immigration, Gay Marriage, Pro-Life, Pro Gun, Iraq War. I guess my main question is can a Strong Right, like a Tea Party Member, ever be mixed with any of these issues?

I think part of the problem to begin with is trying to quantify beliefs as "left or right." It oversimplifies complex, nuanced opinions and issues imho. And it creates labels and sides that people either adhere to themselves, or get lumped into.

For instance:

I'm very socially liberal. I support most things people would consider liberal staples, and while I believe in a perfect world pure volunteerism and libertarianism would be morally superior to forced taxation, social programs, and regulation, we don't live in that world yet, so I believe social programs and taxes are necessities for now. I'm someone who depends on some of said programs for survival, too. Yet at the same time, I do believe we can enact savings on these programs; eliminate waste, more accurately determine who really benefits from them and who doesn't, etc.

I support the second amendment, and absolutely oppose arbitrarily limiting things like clip size, barring those on no fly or other lists from owning firearms without due process or recourse, etc. Yet at the same time, while upholding this right and opposing its curtailment, I personally abhor guns and would never seek to own one myself.

I'm in my personal life a pacifist, and I always oppose war and believe it always, always represents a failure on humanity's part to find another way. Yet, I do believe there are times when once that failure has occurred, and coexistence is impossible, it becomes the most humane thing to prosecute a war with overwhelming force and efficiency, to bring it to an end as expediently as possible, with the fewest possible number of deaths. It's always tragic to me, but I do believe there are times when that is the case.

One such example in the present day imho is ISIS. They have no interest in compromise or coexistence, and as such, I do support efforts to defeat them. However, I oppose the way in which this has been done. It doesn't conform to the doctrine of overwhelming force, and bringing the conflict to an end as quickly as humanely as possible. As such, the quagmire has raged for years and many, many people - innocent people - have suffered or died terribly as a result. Thus I oppose the war, on the basis that it has not been prosecuted humanely imo. I also always oppose wars I feel have not met the, "no other option," point yet. Such as the Iraq war, as one example. In general, I always oppose war.

I believe in some immigration reforms, but I certainly don't want to build a wall, and I do support limited amnesty for certain immigrants.

I believe very strongly in government secularism and separation of church in state (the government should never legislate or permit discrimination on the basis sexuality or gender identity, or limit individual reproductive rights, etc. imo) Yet, I'm also a Christian. (If a recently minted one.)

But even there, I believe judgment is not mine but God's, and that I should not and cannot judge others for anything, both because that's not my job, and because I am aware of my own guilt and imperfection. And because I believe I am supposed to love and show compassion and fellowship to everyone, even those I disagree with.

I also disagree with some of the doctrines it (my faith) adheres to... for instance, I believe the light of reason exists for a reason (as some Christian denominations teach as well,) and that it has shown us homosexuality is not a choice, and I do not regard my gay friends as anything other than fellow human beings, not sinners... but I also accept within myself that that determination is up to God, not me, and so while it aggrieves my conscience at times to belong to a faith that teaches something I don't personally agree with, I persist in faith by maintaining what I call a "tension of conscience." In so doing, I pray that if they are wrong or hard hearted in anything, their hearts be softened and opened. And likewise, if I'm the one who's wrong, I pray the same for myself, and for His forgiveness and mercy... because I can always be wrong.

All of my beliefs are predicated upon, "This is what I believe, and I will stand by that - but I bear no ill will toward anyone, and I believe everyone must have, and does have, the free will to choose for themselves how they live their lives and conduct themselves, and I do not judge anyone for who or what they are or their choices. Their choices, and the consequences thereof, are theirs to make and bear, as are mine."

As you may imagine, this can make it difficult for me to find a "group" to belong to lol. I'm Christian, but many Christians disagree profoundly with me on certain issues. I'm socially very liberal, but there's no liberal political party or platform I agree with because of my second amendment stance. I'm economically liberal on social programs, but fiscally conservative or at least moderate to the extent I believe we need to save money on those programs. I support the second amendment, but disagree profoundly with many elements of all the conservative parties and platforms available.

One might think my middle of the road views and "live and let live" attitude would make me a perfect fit for libertarianism... but I oppose the libertarian view on social programs and welfare, even if I do believe that in an ideal world, theirs would be the morally superior solution. I simply don't perceive that we live in that world yet, and feel making such a change that rapidly, as things are in actual reality today, would doom a lot of people. (Myself among them.)

This is why there's not a single presidential candidate - and I have thoroughly researched them all - I can vote for. Show me a socially liberal, second amendment conservative, economically moderate, morally secular, non-social-program-gutting, foreign policy dovish yet wartime hawkish (overwhelming force) candidate, and I'll vote for them. So far that doesn't exist. If they uphold the second amendment, they also want to gut social programs. If they protect social programs, they also want to curtail the second amendment. If they want a more peaceful foreign policy, when conflict does occur they use limited air strikes that prolong conflicts and don't achieve victory. If they want to enact savings on social programs, they either go too far, or also tend to be too tough for me on immigration.

So yes, we exist. But we have no real voice, imo. And whenever we express one small, isolated aspect of our views... we immediately get lumped in with one affiliation or another, and all sorts of things get assumed about us. Because everyone seems to truly believe if you believe X, you must also believe Y and Z, and that makes you either their ally or their staunch enemy.

Peace.

You have to understand something: the left wing" and "right wing" aren't natural divisions in humankind. They are literally collections of different positions and views that were compiled by political strategists in order to divide populations into manageable groups. Virtually all humans will have a broad variety of views, including ones which will crossover into the other "side" of the political spectrum.

I'm pretty much a progressive ideologue. But there are still some "left wing" views that I disagree with and some "right wing" views that I agree with. And there are plenty of views I have that touch on elements of both "wings" without fully embracing either. So where would that place me?