What "I'm Socially Liberal, But Fiscally Conservative" Means

If you have lived a few years on this earth and have rubbed shoulders with educated, middle-class suburban white people you've probably heard someone say "I'm socially liberal, but economically/fiscally conservative." The person uttering these words will typically have a self-satisfied look on their face, as if this incredibly pedestrian statement is somehow profound.

The people who say this are not deep thinkers, contrary to their pretensions. They are really trying to find some bullshit to cover up their self-interested politics. What they are saying is that they are fine with weed, abortion, and gay rights, but are also against anything that would lead to greater economic equality. Affordable housing, healthcare, and higher education are all off the table. After all, those things cost money. Housing and school segregation also do not offend the sensibilities of these "social liberals." What these people are saying essentially is that they are okay with progressive ideas as long as they don't do anything to challenge their class and race privilege.

Now it appears that this crowd has a presidential candidate in the form of Howard Schultz. The former Starbucks CEO calls himself a Democrat, but wants to limit Social Security. Like the rest of the billionaire class, he is cocooned from criticism and incapable of understanding of how regular people live their lives. The "I'm socially liberal, but fiscally conservative" crowd doesn't really care, though. They all think that they are potential millionaires, and that they are on the winning team. I fear many of them may pull the lever for Schultz in 2020.

Of course, this could really just be a ploy to threaten the Democratic party into nominating a more moderate candidate who reflects the policy priorities of the wealthy donor class. The thing is, Schultz has not contemplated that the people who follow his philosophy are just as likely to be Republicans as Democrats. I don't know how many people I've known over the years who have mentioned their support for abortion rights and gay marriage and still pulled the lever for the Republicans. They proclaim these things to assuage their guilt for voting for Bible-thumping Christian dominionists and alt-right adjacent bigots so that they can have tax cuts.

While there's all this talk of a social democratic resurgence in the Democratic Party and the hardening of Republicans under Trump, not enough attention is paid to the garden variety dipshits in the middle who say "I'm socially liberal, but economically conservative." These people are the ones who swing elections. No wonder we're screwed.