I'm a Liberal, in Both Senses of the Word

I disagree with the view voiced on Friday that people do not vote in their self-interest.  I believe that self-interest is personal, so if you believe that you are acting in your own self-interest, then you are.  Now, I first used to believe that the American public sometimes voted against their self-interest.  In the 2004 election, I thought that the citizens in the Midwest who were losing their jobs voted against their self-interest by voting for Bush.  In actuality, they voted for the candidate that they felt would be better at protecting homeland security.  These people chose to vote on an issue that they felt was more important even though I saw it as less pressing than unemployment.  It required some clichés (walking in their shoes, looking through their eyeglasses) to understand. 

            I agree with international liberalism (there is not but… coming) and I think that I can also be a liberal in the domestic sense.  Some Democrats might have qualms about the self-interest aspect of internationalism.  For instance, I feel that helping others is in my self-interest, which means that working in my own self-interest is not a bad thing.  I think it is possible to be a liberal in both senses of the word because altruism is still a good thing even if it helps you out as well.  I believe that it is in my self-interest to support and help to preserve the rights of all humans everywhere because that means that I am also supporting and protecting my own rights.  While I am not one hundred percent positive that I consciously try to help people to help myself, it does seem rational for that to be the case for this discussion.