The term “liberal” has many different definitions depending on who is using it and what they are referring to when saying liberal. Some people associate liberalism with social justice, while others associate it with pro-capitalist ideals. Others associate it with progressive politics, which are typically characterized by big government and higher taxes.
Yet other people associate liberalism with freedom, or at least less restrictions on individual freedoms. These individuals may refer to themselves as liberals, even if some of these other qualities of being a liberal are not necessarily represented by their policies.
Regardless of what kind of definition someone uses for the word “liberal,” most would agree that KC is quite liberal!
KC is a very liberal city due to all of the ways that it encourages diversity and openness towards everyone. Many organizations in our city are focused on creating an open community where anyone can participate. This includes having accepting committees and positions that do not have specific qualifications, giving everyone equal chances to succeed.
Another way KC is more liberal than other cities is through its approach to charities. Rather than requiring large donations from people, KC encourages people to give back to the community by supporting local nonprofits. This helps ensure that your money stays in the area, and that there are no overhead costs for the charity.
Liberalism also means encouraging free speech and protecting minorities from discrimination. Our city makes sure that this is protected legally, socially, and politically.
The Democratic party is well organized in Kansas City
More than half of all registered voters in Missouri are now members of the Democratic Party, and nearly one-third of those people voted for Hillary Clinton in the recent presidential election!
The Republican organization in Kansas City has been struggling to keep up with the Democrats since Richard M. Nixon was elected president back in 1972. Since then, every two years we have seen either an internal merger or takeover by the national Republicans.
This doesn’t seem like it would matter much unless you live somewhere where there are no political parties. But it does!
It matters because the major party status in America is used to determine who gets funding and other resources from your state government. And being funded as a major party means more access to things, like advertising space and staff to help get out votes.
Most of the country is liberal
Liberals make up just over half of all voters in America, but they dominate our major cities. In fact, 94% of Americans live in one of the 50 states or one of the 5,000+ large and small metropolitan areas that are classified as either mostly Democratic or mostly Republican.
But it’s not like there’s an area with a lot of liberals in America! Almost every state has both very conservative and very liberal towns and cities. And most big cities have significant numbers of moderate and even liberal voters.
In fact, only six American counties –– three each in Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota –– are completely dominated by conservatives. Another seven rural counties (four in Texas, two in Arizona and one in New Mexico) are totally made up of Republicans.
And similarly, only five urban areas — again, three in Wyoming, one in Nevada and one in Utah — are completely dominated by Democrats. Only one other county in America is fully represented by a single political party, and that’s Lincoln County, Oregon which is 97% Republican due to its status as part of The Great Plains.
Most of the country is Democratic
Almost every major city in America is dominated by Democrats. This is not the case for much of our nation as most of us live in Republican or conservative areas.
This does not apply to rural parts of the United States, but even there you will find lots of people who are politically active and knowledgeable about politics.
In fact, many small towns have town councils with only one member that is always voted into office during elections!
He or she is usually elected president of the local chapter of the American Association of Political Scientists and spends hours studying political theory and concepts.
These experts vote on issues such as if someone should be nominated for President or Congress and what policies need to be passed.
Many politicians gain experience working their way up the ladder in these organizations so they can eventually run for public office. Others just enjoy being part of the process and talking about politics with other individuals around the area.
The Democratic party runs the city
Liberals have controlled every level of government here for years, from mayor on down! This includes all three branches of local government (city council, mayor’s office, and executive branch) as well as both houses of our state legislature.
And it doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon. In fact, we might even see some sort of anti-liberal backlash in town.
If you want proof of this, take a look at who has been elected governor here over the past few cycles. Most recently, John Kline was overwhelmingly voted into his position back in 2009. He got almost 80% of the vote!
But before him, Paul Davis was elected with 76 percent of the vote in 2003. And he was easily reelected twice since then, getting more than 70 percent each time.
So what happened between those two elections? Well, Davis suddenly became very popular! His popularity surged after President Trump made several controversial statements about immigration.
This gave people an excuse to dislike him, so they switched their votes to give someone else a chance. A person with less conservative views won because enough voters wanted a different choice.
That’s not to say there are no conservatives here! There definitely are! It’s just that they don’t hold much power.
Another example would be Bret Niles.
There are a lot of liberal politicians in Kansas City
More than half our city council members are either socialist, communist, or democratic-socialist. This is not surprising given that socialism has been growing in popularity across America for the past couple decades.
There’s even a website called KSAzis.org that tracks all of the local politicians who identify as socialists!
The more common label for this type of politician is “liberal.” And I would have to agree– most people in KC seem like they are pretty liberal.
But what does it mean to be liberal? That is a very different question. One definition says that liberals believe individuals should be allowed to do whatever they want to their body as long as it doesn’t harm others.
This seems benign enough, but some argue that this belief also encourages harmful behavior and self-absorption. In other words, being liberal can make you live your life focused only on yourself and your own desires.
That isn’t a good thing if you want to create strong communities and an effective democracy. We need educated citizens with morals that are firm, so we can rely on each other to keep society working.
The Democratic party votes as a whole agrees with the liberals
Over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk about what it means to be a liberal. Some people seem to use the term loosely, considering most Democrats are considered at least moderately liberal.
Others define being a liberal as living an extremely wealthy lifestyle that is fueled by large donations from corporations.
Still others associate the word liberalism with left-wing politics like socialism or communism. These individuals may also describe themselves as progressive, which is another way to identify as a liberal.
But here’s the thing: no matter how much some people call themselves a “liberal,” it doesn’t necessarily mean they agree with the ideas and positions that make up the true definition of the word.
It’s easy to say something is wrong, but proving it isn’t always simple.
Most of the city is politically correct
Many people refer to KC as being “liberal” or “progressive” due to how political some areas are.
This can sometimes make it seem like there is not an area in town that is not liberal. This isn’t true at all! In fact, most parts of the city are pretty conservative.
There are several reasons why this is the case. First, the population here is mostly white, so many people assume everyone else is just like them. Second, our economy depends heavily on finance, so conservatives tend to be more supportive of business. And lastly, the media we watch caters slightly towards the left.
But don’t get the wrong idea- these things aren’t necessarily good. For example, the media often makes assumptions about who is intelligent and educated, which can promote stereotypes.
Overall though, I think liberals have fun way more than conservatives do. You will find lots of events organized by charities and groups for social causes, and you will see tons of signs and stickers promoting those same causes.
Also, anyone can go out and eat somewhere cheap any night of the week, whereas eating expensive food and traveling far costs money, limiting what people enjoy. So overall, I would say liberalism has us enjoying ourselves more.
And while it’s great to feel comfortable, but also know where your place is in society, I believe having strong roots in Christianity gives you that.
There are a lot of protests in Kansas City
Many people have heard about how liberal some parts of Kansas City can seem, but there are actually quite a few protests happening here! Here are just a few examples:
On September 10th, over 1,000 people took part in an anti-fracking protest outside Vann’s Bistro in Leawood. You may have seen photos or videos of this already – it was pretty big!
There were also around 2,500 people at another anti-frack protest that happened one week later outside IKEA in Shawnee.
And back in May, almost 4,000 people took to the streets for a General Strike (when most businesses close) against President Trump.
