Assuming that the person saying that is an American, I think that they don’t understand economics and probably aren’t as socially “liberal” as they might like to think they are … or they haven’t thought that hard about either topic. I think that based on the numerous people I’ve heard say that to me in the past.

It’s fine to not really have thought about these things that much. Not understanding economics isn’t a moral failing either. The people preaching about the economy usually have an agenda that isn’t well-served by accurately describing economics and it can be hard to know where to find good information. I would rather hear “You know, I think those are important topics but I’m not sure where I stand on them yet” though.