Paul Krugman: Redefining Conservatism in the US

Here's a term we really need: Center-Right In Name Only.

John Sides at The Monkey Cage - a political science blog from The Washington Post that you should be reading - recently took on the often-repeated claim that the United States is a center-right nation, which is mainly based on polls showing that many more Americans identify themselves as conservatives than as liberals. Mr. Sides, in a post published on March 6, pointed out that if you ask people about their position on issues, as opposed to how they label themselves, the picture is reversed: "Looked at this way, almost 30 percent of Americans are 'consistent liberals' - people who call themselves liberals and have liberal politics," Mr. Sides, a political-science professor, wrote. "Only 15 percent are 'consistent conservatives' - people who call themselves conservative and have conservative politics. Nearly 30 percent are people who identify as conservative but actually express liberal views. The United States appears to be a center-right nation in name only."