The opposite of libertarian political ideology is not left or liberal, it's authoritarian.

[RainDog]

147. I think that person was talking about personal political ideology

whenever people post the political compass test (which may not be entirely representative of politics or people on DU), most people who do the test here come in at the left/libertarian quandrant.

One big reason is because of the strong support for civil liberties. You'll ALWAYS find strong support for civil liberties among internet communities because the philosophical basis of the internet, initially, as a public entity, was the free-flow of and access to information.

The idea of the creative commons, file sharing w/o profit, communities of choice based upon interests, no official censorship... these are all intrinsic, in many ways, to the entire online communication revolution of our lifetimes.

The left/libertarian quadrant, to me, could be described as "personal freedom, collective compassion."

Politicians, for the most part, have to operate within constraints of a system that people in their private lives and opinions never face. Their opinions and actions are mediated by their participation within a system that requires moderation for wider appeal, that must consider the effects of actions on wider communities...

so, I don't think you should take it as a threat to Democratic party goals, or the working of this site, to note that individuals who are interested in liberal politics are often going to appear more liberal than officialdom on a variety of issues.

...at least that's how I see it.