We can only be a strong party when we take back the word "Liberal"

[mot78]

Think of it, "Liberal" is thought of by everone as something that epitomizes decadence, foppishness, and social anarchy. Why do people on our side use "Progressive" instead of Liberal. Why do most mainstream Democrats shreak at this word and say "I'm not Liberal, I'm center-left (or DLCer, or Progressive, or Big Dog)". In order to stop letting the rw define us, we need to start defining ourselves, and not let them do it for us.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. I'm proud to say I'm a Liberal.

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."
--Sen. John F. Kennedy, acceptance of the New York Liberal Party Nomination, September 14, 1960.
http://www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/whatis.html

[Bozola]

2. Instead of trying to take back an essentially meaningless word

like "librul", and all of the associated baggage therein, why don't we promote a word that does have meaning and seems to have lost somewhere:

"rational"

[Isome]

3. I understand what you're saying, BUT...

IMO, by allowing rabid & irrational wingers to mis-define the word, and consequently discarding it, we look as though we lack conviction, we look weak, we look spineless. That perception of weakness resonates with the elusive swing voters some of us are so keen on capturing. On the flip side, the rethuglicans embrace the conservative label, despite the raggid baggage that comes with it.

I've posted the following quote before, but this thread is another opportunity to show how vulnerable we are to their distortion tactics:

...I think liberalism has been on a decline for a long time and it's going to continue. It's evidenced in one way by the fact that most liberals won't even use the word to identify themselves. Most of them try to -- "oh, no, I'm progressive"; "I'm a moderate" -- or I'm something or other.
—Rush Limbaugh

I refuse to allow that spawn of satan the satisfaction of scurrying away to hide behind another name that he and his follwers haven't targeted. They'll always know where I am, because I never run.

[PurityOfEssence]

8. To show that they're full of shit and can't intimidate us

Standing one's ground is necessary when dealing with bullies. Since the big meanies have successfully suckered people into thinking that liberalism and liberals are "bad", "lazy" and any number of other things, it's important to stand fast. Sure, it's just a word. Sure, it's tarred with baggage from some extreme (and sometimes misguided) programs, but it means many good things. As Bill Maher (no lover of liberals) says: look the word up in the dictionary; there's nothing wrong about the word, in fact, it's all good.

Sometimes it's important to make what seems like a silly symbolic stand, and it can often be a more important action than anything else.

Have you ever stopped a conservative in his/her tracks when he/she utters some ditto cliche that's presumed to be unassailable? I do it all the time and it's hysterical to see them deflate in inarticulate incredulity. When they say: "why do you hate America?", I respond with: "Why do you hate the entire world? I only hate the selfish dicks who think they own this country, you hate the rest of the country, the world and all the inferior people and animals in it. What's the matter with YOU?"

Even if one isn't a liberal, liberals are the glue of the left.

Use the word and be proud, even if you don't identify yourself as one.

And as Frank Zappa said: "and when you pay your bill, kindly leave a little tip, and help that next poor sucker on his one-way trip."

[Cleita]

15. A rational thinking liberal would be fine with me.

I won't give up the word liberal though no matter how many Ann Coulters want to put me in a concentration camp for alleged slander and treason.

[July]

4. Yep, we need to take it back

I like stating it clearly: "I'm a liberal." Telling people you have some kind of relationship with (neighbors, co-workers, PTA parents) is a good way to take away the "demon" in the demonization of liberals. These people know us, know our families, know us as good neighbors, parents, workers, etc., and not as the cartoons we're painted as by the ranters. The Gingrich label-your-enemies plan is reaching nearly a crisis level, where anything said by liberals is delegitimized simply BECAUSE a liberal is saying it.

I would also love to see bumper stickers like:

Another Happy Voting Liberal
Another Happy Liberal Family
I'm a Liberal and I Vote

[Fixated]

5. .....

Not too hard. All we need is several tough, take-no-shit commentators/authors that appear on TV and use the word to describe themselves proudly. When people see that we don't consider it a bad word, they won't either.

[dae]

6. Proud to be librul also and need to label the "cons", neo

or traditional.
:dem:

[Instant Karma]

7. The right track, I believe, would be to forego the word liberal

and redefine conservatives for the CONS they are. There is nothing conservative about George Bush's policies nor any of the neocons. Rather than worry about them defining us, if we were really fighting fire with fire we would be defining them and making it stick.

[roguevalley]

9. I absolutely agree. I always identify as a liberal.

[proud patriot]

10. I completely agree

:thumbsup:

[RichM]

11. Running a general for prez is also "letting the RW define us."

The whole idea that Democrats can run Clark, then say to the public, in effect, "Look, now you guys can't say we're weak on national security anymore!" -- this is the ultimate concession to the right wing view of the world. It's essentially admitting that: 1) the Republicans are completely right to claim that national security is the overriding issue, & 2) the Republicans are also right that Democrats are weaklings on this issue -- except of course for the theatrical stunt of importing a moderate Republican into the party, calling him a "Democrat," and hoping no one will notice there's anything questionable about it.

[Eloriel]

13. You are absolutely, 100% correct about that

And it makes me furious.

Eloriel

[Octafish]

12. Proud Liberal here.

For those who truly give a damn, it's the only way to be.

[unfrigginreal]

14. Baloney!

Instead of worrying so much about meaningless labels let's focus on passing progressive initiatives. You know, not everyone in the Democratic party considers themselves liberal, so don't sweat the small stuff.

[Isome]

21. Language is always important. It's never meaningless...

If it were, the fact that not all Democrats consider themselves liberals never would have entered your mind.

[Oracle]

16. Pigman Limbaugh is a master at creating negative connotations..

on the word liberal.

All one has to do is look up the word “liberal” in the dictionary (open-minded, noninterventionist, tolerant, free thinking.)

And then look up the word “conservative” (unadventurous, conformist, conventional, set in their ways.)

Without a doubt I’m a liberal!

[camero]

17. One way to turn it around.

The repubs are the real liberals. Anything goes economically and when that happens, chaos reins and the corporate crooks win.

The time of CEO's picking worker's and investor's pockets would be over in a dem administration.

Liberals I say, they are liberals.

Edit: when I mean liberal it is as in "liberal" trade policy.

[LiberalTexan]

18. LiberalTexan

It's mine. :) And, I'm proud of it.

[Festivito]

19. A Repub friend told me liberal meant hating freedom.

I responded by asking if they meant freedom as in liberty.

While she was dumbfounded, I mentioned the Statue of Liberty.

She hasn't said one word on politics to me in over a year.

These people are so politically weak.

[canuckagainstBush]

20. LIBERAL

I'm a member of the Liberal party.

[the_real_38]

22. I prefer "progressive"..

... personally.

[Isome]

23. Have you always preferred that to liberal?

I ask because although I've only been politically active & aware since '97, I've never heard progressive, as often as liberal. And, many times I heard or read the two used interchangeably.

There was a thread in here once that discussed the difference in the definitions of the two. What is yours?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

24. Think we can't reclaim the word "liberal"?

Let's take a clue from the young GLBT activists who are proudly calling themselves "queer."

Insulting names are harmful if you accept them. If you embrace them and say, "Yeah, I'm what you say. So what?" it disarms the opposition.

I'd like to see a campaign that had slogans like, "If you receive Social Security, thank a liberal," "If you have clean air and water, thank a liberal," "If you received aid for college, thank a liberal," "If you live in a rural area and have electricity, thank a liberal," "If your workplace is safe,thank a liberal," etc. etc.