#liberalvalues — Public Fediverse posts

I get that liberal now means progressive in other countries, but does it need to? Separating the two would be so useful today when much of the left is desperate to never see misinformation and views they disagree with. Many conservatives are this way too but we've always known that. It's already in the term they use. #LiberalValues

https://www.racket.news/p/is-traditional-liberalism-vanishing

#MAGA is the illiberal right.

The #woke are the illiberal left.

They demand that you agree with them re what the truth is and reject the democratic process in government. The Enlightenment was a mistake. They think some people just might be evil, not worth reasoning with.

It's important to make this distinction because many more people are conservative or progressive than fit into these groups. And the rise of these detrimental groups can be reversed by embracing #LiberalValues on all sides.

What makes you liberal is opposing the illegal forced change of government no matter the ideology or partisanship of the parties involved. An illiberal progressive or conservative just cares about the results. A liberal cares about the public understanding being truthful and the variety of interests being heard and competing fairly. #LiberalValues

Without empathy, thinking you've got all the answers and the people who disagree are idiots, can make perfect sense. More intelligence doesn't help us address that basic human failure. You must be able to step outside of yourself to see the value in a more open system, otherwise you will see them as at best speed bumps to your glorious vision. #LiberalValues

"The purpose of art and civilization is to help us grow a little, to increase our ability to empathize with people outside of ourselves, to develop an understanding of the theory of mind."

best Pope from #Chicago ever! #LiberalValues

It's all subjective. When you recognize that and choose to weigh everyone else's right to define what is true and how to live together equally, you end up with #LiberalValues.

https://www.youtube.com/live/YqIaiQ-aK_s?si=KXLgJW3ceGZtSf7c

Talk about politics as if everybody is a mix of both self-interest and trying to advance some vision of the better life for others. Nobody is evil but we're all definitely working with limited information and a bias built on our own life experiences. And if they are powerful in this broken system, they're also probably willing to mislead others for private or public goals.

Skepticism but not cynicism. A space to find compromise but not be taken advantage of.

#LiberalValues #civics

@mariabustillos.com

empathy, curiosity and integrity #LiberalValues

I want #RankedChoiceVoting and #DemocracyOfReach and a better UN because I believe in #LiberalValues. I think we get the best outcomes for everyone when everyone gets an equal say.

I recognize individual ignorance and bias. I think fascism and the excesses of capitalism come down to concentrated power and people thinking they are smarter or more righteous than others. I can't understand thinking you were born into the best ethnicity or can somehow better discern the voice of the supreme being.

AI agrees with you to maximize engagement (make their owners more money). Yes that's what your favorite political pundit is doing too.

Our #civics is doomed unless we come to appreciate (and support) the people who are smart and well informed but also honest with empathy for all sides. #LiberalValues

@aaronrosspowell.com

what % of the liberty movement just wants less limits on making more money?

while I consider myself liberal, I don't use libertarian or classical liberal because that tends to imply some level of market fundamentalism. liberalism (not sure about liberty) can require limits on some for the greater benefit of all. liberalism should be about the Enlightenment. constantly refiguring out how best to live together.

#LiberalValues: empathy, curiosity and integrity

Politics actually shouldn't be about persuasion imo. That would just lead to the people with the most power to push shit on others winning. We should be trying to ensure everybody is well informed and thinking about institutions, issues and policy critically, while we try to balance the powers of persuasion in society. And maximize people having their perspectives represented in government.

My #LiberalValues are ridiculous.

@ryan

why must you reframe what I said?

I asked if he ever admitted to changing his mind, exactly what you constantly accuse me of not doing. And just did above. That's the test imo (and it seems yours), not whether he agrees with me. And I can only offer my posts and shows to argue I'm trying to do that and what I think #LiberalValues are.

AFAICT he was doing exactly what you claim I'm doing. Using rhetorical tricks to fool bystanders re how much his ideas are better than those of lefties.

One argument that #CharlieKirk was different is that his whole persona was about talking to people that disagreed with him. So did he ever publicly admit to being persuaded or say conservatives were wrong on an issue? Otherwise it was performative. Tricky arguments rather than honest open conversations.

In my experience, you don't get popular doing that. You won't be praised by leaders and given political money if you sometimes loudly say they are wrong. But maybe I missed it.

#LiberalValues

Obviously the worst thing is the unjustified violence.

But if someone like Osama says kill people, that's bad too. What if they never actually tell people to kill others but just say some group is doing horrible shit and nobody will stop them. Doesn't that imply somebody should? And if you stop somebody that they then inspired, how useful is that when they can easily inspire so many others?

I don't know what to do with all this except to encourage us to talk things out instead. #LiberalValues

I strongly disagree with @kenwhite.bsky.social. It has always rested on the people to demand more than barbarism from their government. To teach #LiberalValues to future generations. But we've been failing to do this well in this nation for generations. Our foreign policy has been total disregard for international standards when it serves elite interests, while we pretend to care when it suits us. Like renaming the Pentagon, they're just ripping off the mask.

when you don't have a cultural norm of debate and dialogue, it ends up mattering much more who can achieve a greater reach for their argument than whose argument is better. #LiberalValues

Why Classic Liberals Must Defend Democracy Against Populism

Defend Democracy from Populism Before It Is Too Late

Democracy does not sustain itself. It requires constant defence, especially from those of us who call ourselves classical liberals, those who stand in the middle, valuing rights, dignity, and freedom of expression. If we treat these values as permanent, we risk losing them. History shows how quickly populism can erode freedoms when ignored.

Populism thrives by simplifying complexity. It tells us that problems have a single cause, usually a minority group or an institution. It channels frustration into blame, not solutions. And when it wins, populism narrows freedoms: courts are pressured, journalists are silenced, and ordinary citizens begin to self-censor.

To defend democracy from populism, classical liberals must step forward, not as quiet moderates but as active guardians of freedom.

Populism Threatens Freedom of Expression and Human Rights

Populist leaders rarely begin with mass repression. They start with small attacks: questioning the independence of the judiciary, framing critical media as “enemies of the people,” and portraying disagreement as betrayal. Over time, these attacks accumulate until the culture of free expression is broken.

Research from Freedom House shows a consistent decline in global freedom over the last 17 years, much of it driven by populist governments that centralize power and reduce accountability. From Hungary to Venezuela, the pattern is familiar. Once populism takes root, reversing it becomes difficult.

For classical liberals, defending democracy means protecting not only voting rights but also the wider ecosystem that makes free choice meaningful: independent courts, transparent institutions, diverse media, and civil society.

Why Classical Liberalism Is the Best Defence Against Populism

Classical liberalism holds that individuals are ends in themselves. Rights are not granted by the state, they precede it. This principle forms the strongest barrier against populist rule because it asserts that no majority, however loud, can strip away basic freedoms.

To be a classical liberal is to defend human dignity even when unpopular. It means accepting that people live, speak, and believe differently, and that this diversity is not a weakness but a strength. Liberalism stands against both authoritarian control and mob rule because both destroy individual autonomy.

As John Stuart Mill argued in On Liberty, silencing expression robs society not only of the truth but of the ability to test falsehood against it. In this sense, defending freedom of expression is not idealism. It is practical survival for democracy.

The Urgency of Defending Democracy Now

Too often, centrists assume the middle will hold. But the middle is only stable when defended. Without vigilance, democratic norms erode quietly. Elections become less fair, opposition voices fade, and the public sphere turns hostile to dissent.

We see this in the rise of “democratic backsliding,” where elected governments use democratic legitimacy to dismantle democracy itself. Political scientists such as Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, in How Democracies Die, document how institutions fall not through sudden coups but through gradual erosion.

Defending democracy from populism requires classical liberals to act before the damage is irreversible. Waiting until rights are gone is too late. Waiting until rights are gone is too late. For a deeper reflection on why personal responsibility matters in shaping the political future, see my personal manifesto and platform for the future we deserve.

How Classical Liberals Can Defend Democracy from Populism

Defence requires clarity, courage, and persistence. Classical liberals can take action in several ways:

1. Speak openly for free expression. Do not let populists frame criticism as disloyalty.
2. Support independent institutions. A free press, impartial courts, and watchdog groups are the lifelines of democracy.
3. Defend the right to vote. Ensure elections remain fair, accessible, and transparent.
4. Challenge populist narratives. Offer evidence, not slogans. Complexity is not weakness, it is honesty.
5. Build coalitions. Democracy is strongest when liberals, conservatives, and progressives unite around protecting its core values.

In short, defending democracy from populism means defending the very conditions that allow us to disagree peacefully.

Call to Action

Democracy survives when ordinary people defend it, not just politicians or institutions. If this essay speaks to you, share it. Add your voice in the comments. Challenge the complacency that allows populism to grow.

The more we speak, the harder it becomes for silence to win.

Author’s Note

This essay reflects my personal views as a centrist. It does not represent the opinions of any employer, organization, or group. These words are mine alone, offered in the hope of sparking reflection and dialogue.

#authoritarianism #centristPolitics #classicalLiberalism #defendDemocracy #democracyAtRisk #freeSpeech #freedom #HumanRights #liberalValues #populism #protectDemocracy

Ok, so I finally got a framing of liberalism from the left that I can understand, even if I disagree with it.

That liberalism believes we can't challenge market power. So their approach to dealing with climate change fails because it says going after oil companies is off limits. Fixing health care includes saying we can't confront big pharma and insurance companies. It's like libertarian lite.

Not my liberalism of facts and dialogue towards any possible policy, but I get it.

#LiberalValues

We don't need and shouldn't want #journalism that is neutral or moderate, but it must be in good faith and strive to be fair. Lying assholes deter us from engaging in the public conversation, hurting democracy and our shared civic life. #LiberalValues

Over time, people figure it out. We just usually hate admitting we were wrong to people who disagree with us.

So the best (only?) thing we can really do is build systems that encourage everyone getting a variety of info and perspectives to speed it along. Cause the sooner minds change, the less unnecessary pain we'll experience.

#LiberalValues #SocialWeb #DemocracyOfReach

Liberals are dissidents. They speak out against all sides as appropriate. Sometimes that's the establishment, sometimes that's your "own side".

I hate that liberal has lost this meaning. That many now think it means exactly the opposite of that. That the left calls people just to the right of themselves and/or those who support the Dem establishment liberal. And the right uses the term for everybody left of themselves, seeing little disagreement among that huge swath of people.

#LiberalValues

No service can replace social media by giving you all the news you need because everybody is biased in different ways. Same as cable news etc. The magic of social media is you can curate a wide variety of smart perspectives but you do must do the work. The alternative is giving over influence regarding what we know and think about to a more selected few. That will always be bad for democracy. It's not just voting but what info and perspectives influence those votes. #LiberalValues #SocialWeb

"I hope all these MFers, who are out there goose-stepping get fired. He knows what he did. He ran back to the loving embrace of #LiberalValues when he got fired. "Free speech, free speech!" You were just saying you're a fucking Nazi you dumb bitch. Ain't no free speech in Nazi Germany. According to your own ideology, you shouldn't be for free speech. So now, you can't run to the loving embrace of liberal values. After you denounced liberal values on Jubilee."

https://krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/p/episode-236-audio-andrew-callaghan

"Cease quoting laws to those of us with swords." #PompeyTheGreat

without empathy, without an understanding that this path makes all the benefits of an open society impossible, isn't this the unavoidable result?

And laws are not enough if we do not establish and accept a third party to decide disputes over what they mean and enforce them. otherwise, you're really just back to who is most stubborn and heavily armed. #RuleOfLaw #LiberalValues

I've thought and said #EpsteinDidntKillHimself for years. I think the problems with our government come down more to the wealthy having too much say than Dem or GOP influence. So for me, this case is an example of privileged people being protected by the system. That #MAGA thought Trump would be different shows how badly they misunderstand the world imo. How much they're willing to believe in saviors rather than human nature and do civics.

So I'm a dissident lefty. #LiberalValues

the right calls everybody left of themselves liberals, but it has always upset me that the mainstream/moderate left gets called liberal by the further left. in my experience, there is a separate part of the further left that is most reliably engaged in critical thinking, honest and trying to understand all other perspectives (#LiberalValues). usually focused on economics and foreign policy, less concerned re feelings etc. dissidents like Greenwald. Bill Moyers was one.

https://fair.org/home/farewell-to-bill-moyers-who-showed-what-public-tv-could-be/

If government policy changes and it deeply impacts you but you routinely misunderstand how your representatives' actions led to that outcome, how can democracy work?

#LiberalValues

Having massive policy arguments even within the right and left is how our system is supposed to work. Political parties and primaries are not supposed to exist. It's supposed to be chaotic.

But we're not supposed to be in deep disagreement on facts. Or so angry at each other that we can't compromise. Politicians should have to change minds via argument not force of personality. One person possibly donating to campaigns shouldn't be able to influence the passage of legislation.

#LiberalValues

#LiberalValues are about putting the people in control, recognizing that there must be a state or else private power abuses us, but also that the state must be controlled by the public to keep it from abusing us.

within that, you can still be #conservative and primarily concerned about preventing things from getting worse (usually the focus of those older and doing the best) or #progressive and focused on how we need to make things better (usually the concern of those younger and doing poorly).

A great episode with #DanielleAllen on @radioopensource.bsky.social. She is all about hearing from all sides and making democracy work. A true liberal. Please listen. Wish she was here. #LiberalValues
https://radioopensource.org/divided-defensive-democracy/

A great episode with #DanielleAllen on @radioopensource.bsky.social. She is all about hearing from all sides and making democracy work. A true liberal. Please listen. Wish she was here. #LiberalValues
https://radioopensource.org/divided-defensive-democracy/

A great episode with #DanielleAllen on @radioopensource.bsky.social. She is all about hearing from all sides and making democracy work. A true liberal. Please listen. Wish she was here. #LiberalValues
https://radioopensource.org/divided-defensive-democracy/

I can't tell if #DouglasMurray is just feigning an embarrassing level of ignorance, had his mind fully warped by his hate for the left or just desperately trying to extend his grift for as long as possible. Huge props to #AndrewSullivan for having this argument and standing up for #LiberalValues.
https://pca.st/episode/9e7829f5-ef7f-41ab-936b-925c7fcac6cf

We need media directly funded by the masses via an automatic payment using a decentralized fiat transfer protocol. Not the government. Not big donations from rich people, corporations, or even NGOs. We need this kind of support to be a new norm, combined with a civic commitment to care more about varied quality perspectives and sources rather than being entertained by having our biases stroked.

cc @Interledger

#NPR #PBS #LiberalValues #value4value

Kinda who I am in an age of political tribalism, trolls and conspiracy lovers. #CultureWarRadio #LiberalValues

You're not pushing back on #CancelCulture if you only do it when conservatives get attacked. Not when pro Palestinian voices get shut down etc. You're just taking a side in the culture war.

Same with recognizing #wokeism as a religion and complaining about it, but not complaining about religion in other areas of public life. It's illiberalism everywhere that's a problem. The failure to prioritize the pursuit of truth and understanding each other over ideology and tribal power. #LiberalValues

You're not pushing back on #CancelCulture if you only do it when conservatives get attacked. Not when pro Palestinian voices get shut down etc. You're just taking a side in the culture war.

Same with recognizing #wokeism as a religion and complaining about it, but not complaining about religion in other areas of public life. It's illiberalism everywhere that's a problem. The failure to prioritize the pursuit of truth and understanding each other over ideology and tribal power. #LiberalValues

News, music and a federal employee.

Everybody wants the best possible outcome. Some perceive #DEI as leading to lower quality hires and #criticaltheory leading to a misunderstanding of history. Taken too far, I think both can do that. But done well, they both do the opposite. They allow us a fuller view of what's out there, correcting for our own natural bias and the cultural bias built up over generations of having too few have more of a say in the public conversation. But getting this right won't be easy. #wokeism #LiberalValues

Everybody wants the best possible outcome. Some perceive #DEI as leading to lower quality hires and #criticaltheory leading to a misunderstanding of history. Taken too far, I think both can do that. But done well, they both do the opposite. They allow us a fuller view of what's out there, correcting for our own natural bias and the cultural bias built up over generations of having too few have more of a say in the public conversation. But getting this right won't be easy. #wokeism #LiberalValues

News and music.

News and music.

People don't understand what is going on in our politics because we never force the different narratives into dialogue with each other. Each group plays to their tribe and there is nobody making them prove their arguments or provide evidence. It's #clownworld cause the people are choosing entertainment over demanding serious reflection from public intellectuals. Those who do this work get buried by algorithms built to profit off serving us mental junk food. #LiberalValues
https://pca.st/y4yiaexl

People don't understand what is going on in our politics because we never force the different narratives into dialogue with each other. Each group plays to their tribe and there is nobody making them prove their arguments or provide evidence. It's #clownworld cause the people are choosing entertainment over demanding serious reflection from public intellectuals. Those who do this work get buried by algorithms built to profit off serving us mental junk food. #LiberalValues
https://pca.st/y4yiaexl

People don't understand what is going on in our politics because we never force the different narratives into dialogue with each other. Each group plays to their tribe and there is nobody making them prove their arguments or provide evidence. It's #clownworld cause the people are choosing entertainment over demanding serious reflection from public intellectuals. Those who do this work get buried by algorithms built to profit off serving us mental junk food. #LiberalValues
https://pca.st/y4yiaexl

News and music.

News and music.

News and music.