''This article discusses liberalism as a major worldwide political ideology, its development, and some of its many modern-day variations. For the ideology commonly referred to as liberalism in the United States today, see American liberalism. For other uses, see Liberal (disambiguation).

Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.A: "'Liberalism' is defined as a social ethic that advocates liberty, and equality in general." - Coady, C. A. J. Distributive Justice, A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, editors Goodin, Robert E. and Pettit, Philip. Blackwell Publishing, 1995, p.440. B: "Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end." - Lord Acton Traditionally, what was meant by "liberty" was the freedom of each individual to do as they pleased, provided they did not infringe on the liberty of others. This is often called classical liberalism. Another form of liberalism, often called social liberalism, holds that freedom requires what is sometimes called a "level playing field", that for people to be free they must be free from the unequal power of those born to wealth and high social status. Attempts to level the playing field include anti-discrimination laws, civil service examinations, universal education, affirmative action, and progressive taxation. A third form of liberalism, now almost universal in liberal democracies, holds that the government should provide for the general welfare. This sometimes includes a dole for the poor, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick, all supported by taxes. Classical liberals often strongly object to this kind of liberalism, asserting that the freedom of private property takes precedence over the personal freedom that depends on health, education, and a place to live; they claim that private charity does the job as well, or even better.

Classical liberals seek a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on coercive power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government. Modern liberals advocate a government in which the rights of minorities are protected. Compare for the latter aspect the Oxford Manifesto of 1947 of the Liberal International (Respect for the language, faith, laws and customs of national minorities), Oxford Manifesto of 1997 (We believe that close cooperation among democratic societies through global and regional organisations, within the framework of international law, of respect for human rights, the rights of national and ethnic minorities, and of a shared commitment to economic development worldwide, is the necessary foundation for world peace and for economic and environmental sustainability), the ELDR Electoral programme 1994 (Protecting the rights of minorities flows naturally from liberal policy, which seeks to ensure equal opportunities for everyone). In modern society, classical and social liberals favour a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and equal opportunity. Compare the Oxford Manifesto of the Liberal International (These rights and conditions can be secured only by true democracy. True democracy is inseparable from political liberty and is based on the conscious, free and enlightened consent of the majority, expressed through a free and secret ballot, with due respect for the liberties and opinions of minorities).

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MSNBC Dumps Olbermann and Matthews as Anchors for Debates, Election Night
Jeralyn Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:29:48 -0500
As Big Tent Democrat noted in his update below, MSNBC has relieved Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews of anchoring duties for the remaining debates and election night coverage. David Gregory will anchor with Matthews and Olbermann appearing as analysts. The key, I think, is this: Executives at the channel’s parent company, NBC Universal, had high hopes for MSNBC’s coverage of the political conventions. Instead, the coverage frequently descended into on-air squabbles between the anchors, embarrassing some workers at NBC’s news division, and quite possibly alienating viewers. Although MSNBC nearly doubled its total audience compared with the 2004 conventions, its competitive position did not improve, as it remained in last place among the broadcast and cable news networks. More... Keith Olbermann is no different than Bill O'Reilly, they are just on opposite sides. Fox never had (nor would have) Bill O'Reilly anchor a debate or election night coverage. Even the idea of it is laughable. It's no different with Olbermann. While some critics argued that the assignment was akin to having the Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly anchor on election night — something that has never happened — MSNBC insisted that Mr. Olbermann knew the difference between news and commentary. I rarely watched Countdown before the primaries. It was all about Olbermann's take on the news rather than the news. It's made worse by his format of interviewing one "expert" guest at a time, also giving an opinionated take. (The roundtable of pundits was better, particularly when they were Rachel Maddow and Pat Buchanan.) Olbermann and Matthews are talk show hosts and MSNBC should market them as such and give up the pretension they can deliver hard news. Sure, it was his and Matthews' abysmal coverage of the primaries that ensured millions of viewers wouldn't be back. But it's more than that. Who wants to watch an hour of Keith Olbermann's opinions, backed up by reporters and pundits selected only because they share his view? It's no different than watching Laura Ingraham or Lou Dobbs. Good for MSNBC for recognizing, however belatedly, that news coverage of live events like debates and election night, should be anchored by journalists with an assist from pundits on both sides. They shouldn't be the main event. David Gregory will be excellent in this role. He's always been a journalist first and a talk show host second.
McCain Afraid Of Olbermann?
Big Tent Democrat Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:04:34 -0500
Jay Ackroyd asks a good question: So, if Obama will face O'Reilly, doesn't that make McCain a wuss if he won't go on Olberman? KO may want to start asking that question. A very fair question. I think O'Reilly and Olbermann are pretty comparable. If Obama is tough enough to take on O'Reilly, McCain should be tough enough to take on Olbermann. Update [2008-9-7 22:23:30 by Big Tent Democrat]: NYTimes reporting reporting Olbermann and Matthews are out as anchors for political nights on MSNBC. Pretty funny. Apparently, NBC did not like being Fox Left. By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only
Sunday Night Open Thread
Jeralyn Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:51:08 -0500
The U.S. Open pre-empted Big Brother 10, so I'm left with the MTV Music Video Awards, hosted by Russell Brand. Who? He's a young British stand up comedian and tv host, apparently very popular there. I would have thought it was a re-run from a past year since Brittney Spears won the award for best female video, but Brand's opening monologue was all about Gov. Sarah Palin -- poking fun at her prospective son-in-law Levi. Music videos must not be a big business anymore. This sure isn't the Grammy's. It seems very low budget with a high school auditorium feeling. Maybe it's the seating-- it resembles folding chairs.[More...] Michael Phelps did a nice job of presenting an award. He seems very comfortable on stage. A rapper is on now and they are bleeping almost every other word. Jamie Foxx and Demi Moore presented and Kobe Bryant and Paris Hilton are up soon. Is anyone watching anything more interesting? This is an open thread.

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