Do you think it's a good idea or bad idea to label oneself a liberal or conservative when in a political debate?

I think it best to clearly state your position and the reasoning that got you there. If someone then wants to put a label on it that’s up to them.

Irrelevant, since the other side will start labelling you soon enough.

I don’t like the labels. They are loaded with other people’s preconceptions. Not helpful.

Perhaps better not to; that way you can keep the other guy off-guard while he tries to figure you out. As a bonus, you can avoid for a time the biases and bad assumptions that people have come to associate with whichever label you’d be inclined to use.
A lot of my co-workers, and even my fellow jellies, hear “conservative” and think that I’m some kind of woman-hating fascist, because that’s what their sources have told them to think that conservatives are for this election cycle. They also tend to assume that I vote straight-party-ticket Republican, which I only do when I can’t find more appealing candidates.

I find they are helpful. If people are accurate, it can save a lot of time and effort in going over ground we pretty much know about. We just stipulate basic positions and move on from there.

Of course, if you don’t fit the terms, then you don’t use the label.

The labels come because of the positions the candidates take. It’s un-avoidable, and that’s fine. I like to know whether I’m buying decaf or regular and not have to figure it out by drinking it and having a bad reaction.

It’s kind of like in that relationship question where someone was asking the other person not to give their relationship a label. Without labels, it makes things a lot more difficult to figure out. I like to know exactly where I stand in a relationship and with a political candidate.

None of the above. It’s best to announce yourself as apolitical, as in…. I don’t give a flying f—k and let the fireworks commence! lol

Since it is possible, even probable, that you do not fit either category 100% I think you should state it on an issue by issue basis.

I often state I’m a Liberal Republican to clarify my position on certain issues like SSM, abortion, etc….it seems to be helpful so people don’t immediately start bashing me! lol

I think that’s a great point, @KNOWITALL. In a way, by copping to a label, you are disarming people, especially when they know how different you will be.

I have done that, myself. I don’t have to label myself as a socialist or something, but in other areas, I call myself a name before others can, and oddly, that seems to get people to listen to me. Weird. Really weird.

I just don’t want to start any political conversation with ‘Hey I’m a judgemental, narrow-minded hypocrit with a lot of money’, which is what conservative Republican means in my head….lol

It’s interesting that you can tolerate being in the same party as people like that. Is that difficult?

Yes it is. I will leave it at that for now…lol