We Misunderstand the Label "Liberal"

[placton]

Those on the right want to end American government and society as we know it. And that's what they mean when they say we live in a society dominated by liberalism. They are right - because to them, liberalism means democracy. And that is what these folks are against.

For years, we on the left have been trying to communicate that "liberals" are no longer in power. Despite the claims of the right there is a vast liberal (insert word here: media, bureaucracy, judiciary).

But we have been misled - or misled ourselves. What conservatives mean by liberal is - American. It just struck me today: the right wants to end America, because they do not believe in our liberal ideas:
-an independent judiciary
-one person, one vote
-real debate over public ideas
-the functioning of a legislature that debates and considers all sides of a question
-the 2 party system
-mild regulation of commerce to prevent bad management practices (child labor, sweatshops, union bashing, predatory practices, monopolies, environmental restraints)
-regulation of financial institutions to protect ordinary citizens
-seeking a country where people don't go homeless, or jobless

and so on.

The wingers want to END all that. That is what THEY mean by liberal. They want a one party state, much like the Reich-stag after Hitler took over. Legislators can vote, sure, but a few in the dictatorship (not necessarily the Fuhrer) really call the shots. No need to debate, or even read, what the Leader wants enacted into law.

Jews? Out, or at least shut your mouths - this is a Christian nation!

Gays? that 'Bama judge said "kill 'em" - and wingers do.

People of differing opinions? America haters.

Need I go on?

Maybe we ought to start reminding people of that - and realizing it ourselves. Liberal means something different to those wanting to end it - it means America.

[thecai]

1. EXACTLY

No need to go on, you've said it all. Great post!

[libertypirate]

2. Thank you....

[placton]

3. This hit me like a bolt outta the blue

we are debaters without an opponent - because we define a single word differently

[BrainRants]

4. EXCELLENT post!

I can't help but think that presenting this type of list to the masses can get a lot of traction in helping define the Dem party.

[kliljedahl]

5. This from LiberalCartoons.com

Very succinct




http://www.kliljedahl.net

[thecai]

6. Succinct Indeed!

I've always wondered when the rw's changed the meaning of the word "liberal".

[BrainRants]

9. We need to take the word "Liberal" back and embrace it.

I've had enough of the yapping about "liberal press", "Massachusetts Liberal", etc.

Dammit!

I'm a liberal and proud!

[placton]

7. The cartoon is a good one - but is misleading in a way

It correctly defines, in dictionary terms, the 2 philosophies.

But the wingers are far beyond that in their definition of "liberal." They actually want to destroy most American institutions. You can argue that we have given only lip service to a truly humanitarian America - while killing Native Americans, enslaving millions, etc. But AT LEAST WE GAVE OUR IDEALS LIP SERVICE - and that helped and preserved what we once all, as Americans, agreed on.

No longer. Eradicating liberalism means ENDING our national institutions. That's what Bush and his gang are about - and what we need to start to realize.

[rucky]

13. That Roget guy must've been a French!

damn liberal media

[unclevanya]

8. See, I disagree

I like to think that we still control a pretty decent portion of the media. I don't see where people are saying that the media is swinging right. I like that the media swings left, as they should. It is thier job to make sure we get the right stories. I was be pissed of all they were doing is kissing Bush's ass.

What pisses me off is all the celebrities. All they do is turn away middle class people away because they are just as elite as the sorry Republican elites, they just try to act like they are working class. Want to blame someone for Kerry losing, blame assholes like Sean Penn who used to beat his wife yet tries to say he is against the war. I AM against the war and this stupid ass president, but you don't see me taking out a full page ad.

Sorry I got off topic but I hate Hollywood and how they pretend to know what we are going through. They are enjoying thier tax breaks as we get raped by the Nazi Fascist Republican party.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi unclevanya!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[EFerrari]

11. I hope you have a quiet shift, newyawker99 n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

19. The media shouldn't swing any way.

I remember a signature file I saw once: "Don't blame the media, the *facts* have a liberal bias".

I think that the media should provide a) as unbiased as possible factual reporting, and b) commentary roughly representative of and in proportion to the views of the electorate - those parts of it that disagree with me as well as those that don't.

I do think that media organs should be honest about their political views - I have fewer objections to the Telegraph printing commentary or reporting "facts" with a right-wing bias/perspective than I do to the ostensibly-neutral Times or Economist doing so.

I don't know what the situation is like in America - both left and right are 100% convinced that the media is biased in favour of their opponents, and I haven't seen enough American media to judge for myself - but here in the UK radio and television news does a pretty good job of being unbiased - there are occasional squawks from the Conservative party and th enewspapers that the BBC is left-wing, but "they would say that, wouldn't they", but the newspapers are nearly all overtly right-wing, some of them fairly far-right.


I don't think celebrities had much to do with the defeat of Kerry - there were celebrities on both sides, and while they may add glitter, they had little to do with the actual substance of the campaigns.

[Mich Otter]

12. In a true Democracy...

A true Democracy, in which everyone votes in their own best interests and all the votes count, would lead to a Socialist state. There would be health care, food, shelter, jobs, transportation, and education for all. It is in the majority's interest that society be organized to make this happen.
In a pure Capitalist system all the wealth would become concentrated in just a few families who would form a Fascist state to protect their wealth. The wealthy would form an alliance with the religious leaders that would evolve into a monarchy. The wealthy and the religious leaders need a symbiotic relationship for their mutual survival.
The Republicans are doing what is natural for Capitalists.
What we have in America is a perverted mix of Democracy and Capitalism in which some of the voters get their choice of whichever of the two bought-and-paid-for candidates are running. The influence of money in the campaigns and the lying have corrupted what ought to be a real Democracy.
As a rigged, two-party system, America cannot be considered a real democracy.

[sweetheart]

14. 3 branches of government say its too late

How could one not love a romantic. Liberals need to realize the
bigger picture that the decline of infantile fascist conservatism
serves a greater good on the world stage by causing the entire "other"
5.8 billion people to reject american soft power, in such a way that,
empire will not be a problem for our children to debate.

Then at least the evil will be contained to the US borders leaving
most of the human race free'er, with greater peace and prosperity
with a collapsed american military machine.

[bpilgrim]

15. and that is exactly the tact our leaders should take in FRAMING this

we should all be PROUD to be fucking liberal and lots of other things but mostly that we are AMERICANS which is a helluva lot more than we can say about the FASCIST - thats right i said FASCIST - neoCONs.


http://peace.globalfreepress.com

peace

[Hissyspit]

16. liberal: from the Latin 'liber' meaning FREE

as in "suitable for a free man" (quoting Webster's)

[LatePeriduct]

17. Let me say it again. Dominionism.

Dominionism, a twisted and decayed version of ideological viewpoints thinks that all Liberals and Liberalism are communists.

Communists, or the death of the republic are in other words Socialism.

Dominionism is against all forms, its even against a regular republic.

It is who took charge, it is who granted permission to fraud elections and so many other things. http://wmadsen.blogspot.com

[placton]

18. This, to me, seems how best to frame the debate

"The conservatives mean to eliminate all democratic institutions."

[Donald Ian Rankin]

20. Hmmm....

"-mild regulation of commerce to prevent bad management practices (child labor, sweatshops, union bashing, predatory practices, monopolies, environmental restraints)"

Yes, I've been saying for years that we need to crack down and regulate to prevent corporations using those damned environmental restraints... :-)

[me b zola]

21. This proud Liberal says "thank you"

:applause: :patriot: :applause: :patriot: :applause: :patriot: :applause:

[placton]

22. shameless bump