we're having some definitional issues, again, apparently, and i'll just briefly point them out and then continue to define words properly, rather than the way they're used in the backward american political spectrum.

so, conservatism is a right-wing ideology that believes in centralized power and authoritarian leadership. historically, the democrats have been the conservative party in the united states, and it is governors like gretchen whitmer and gavin newsom that are producing the most conservative reactions to the crisis.

liberalism counters conservatism by opposing centralized power and authoritarian leadership, insisting instead on individual freedom and civil rights. it argues that markets are the best way to do this. historically, the republicans have been the liberal party in the united states, but they have flirted with a kind of nihilism over much of the last hundred years that has seen them cynically move to the right of the conservative party.

what that means is that the political spectrum in the united states allows you to choose between the democrats on the right and the republicans on the far right.

what is a liberal - or a socialist - to do? they may weakly lean towards the democrats, but rarely with any conviction. but, they mostly end up disenfranchised, and forced to try and figure out which individual politicians are lesser evils, regardless of party alignment.

in the current crisis, those who are advocating stronger government powers and controls are conservatives and fall on the right of the spectrum; those that think that civil liberties are paramount and that the situation doesn't justify curtailing them are liberals and fall on the left of the spectrum.

the language produced by the media will no doubt be very confusing.

but, the political hats that i wear - hats like civil libertarian, anarchist, socialist and social liberal - are in absolute agreement: individual civil rights trump collective security, which is the statement that defines the left of the spectrum.

we'll have to see how key voting groups like young people react to this and align, in the end.