Right and left in American politics?

American politics is going to get more interesting, as Republican presidential wannabes jostle for media attention (in the Democratic camp, unless Obama goes gaga or something, he's the incumbent candidate come 2012). For now, the Conservatives in the Republican camp -- playing to the tune of the Tea Party-ists -- seem to hog the limelight. In the American context, what is a Conservative?

In vogue now is this cheeky lapel button, both funny and scary, which may well be apt, or it may just be a caricature, depending on one's political viewpoint: “I’m a God-Fearing, Gun-Toting, Flag-Waving Conservative the Liberals Warned You About”.

American Conservatives consider themselves situated to the "right" of the political spectrum. So, to them, American Liberals are to the "left". The most extreme of the American rightwing even say Obama -- their archetypal Leftie -- is a communist or socialist, or even a Muslim (isn't his middle name "Hussein"?).

The American traditional South (or Dixie) is said to be a bastion of the Conservatives. I have a T-shirt which, to be fair, is a spoof caricature of how (some?) Southerners see the map of "the United States of Dixie":

Meanwhile, ST (21 June) published a commentary "GOP debate reveals rightward drift" by James Zogby. It is a good piece that captures the current Republican (or GOP -- "Grand Old Party") mood.

But what's interesting, in the image above of the ST rendition, is that while the story is about the Republicans moving ever more rightward, the illustration has the GOP "representative" pushing the "Party" towards the left!