Furthermore, America is a strange place simply because much of American society seems to be still engrained in the cold war. Look at the rappant paranoia in regards to the government, the fear of social inovation and simply the fear of change.
American society has change drastically little over the bast 20 years in terms of all other developed nations, and America seems content to continue down this path. When issues such as universal health care are met with obstinant, unyeilding biases, claiming that it is a "communist" idea, then something is truly wrong.
Everyone claims the Democrats are left wing, but by what standard are we making that assessment? The American one? Well, you there are only two parties, and the Republicans are firmly to the right politically, so yes in that sense the Democrats would be to the left. But what about in a broader sense?
Well, comparing the American left to the Canadian left (my country) you get a rather odd picture. Canada has three major parties, Conservatives, Liberals, and the New Democratic Party (NDP). Now, if we match the Liberals up the Democrats, traditionally the Canadian Liberal Party, a centrist party for the most part, still leans slightly more to the left. And the NDP is further left still.
So what's my point? Well, American politics reflect American society, and vice versa. Even the American "left" is still slightly more conservative than the Canadian center. This would mean that America is a rather conservative society, a product perhaps, one my assume, the cold war. However, I do not study American history that much, so I am willing to admit that I am wrong.