Over at Wikipedia under American liberalism there is this little tidbit:
In 21st century American politics, there is considerable confusion over the meaning of the term "liberal". Beginning in the early 1990s, Republicans have made a concerted effort to change the meaning of the term, by a method called "framing". <5> Instead of arguing against liberal beliefs, "framing" attempts to change the meaning of the word in the public consciousness, so that a belief in equal rights for all Americans is framed as "special rights for homosexuals", a belief in the rights of those accused of crimes is framed as "soft on crime", and a belief in freedom of religion is framed as "hatred of Christians". <6> This has been successful to such an extent that the term "liberal" has become stigmatized and is now generally avoided by those running for office; "progressive" is now often used instead of "liberal". Although the two are related, they are really distinct political ideologies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_liberalism See, we here at DU fell for that too. It's obvious by the special interest posts: my rights matter too!
You're damn right they do.
But we let them segment us by defining the debate, by categorizing it into "special rights for homosexuals", or "pro abortion," or "moon-bat ecologists" or what have you.
That implies there are only special interests groups in the Democratic party with no underlying philosophy. Nothing to unite us. Well, let's turn that around.
There is an underlying philosophy, and it is this: liberty. Liberty is the common denominator to everything we all want, to all our special interests. There's nothing wrong with having a special interest, to be passionate about a cause, but losing sight of the foundation and letting them define what we want, what we care about, rocks the structure of any cause. So liberty is fundamental.
Liberty to love who you want, to keep control of your bodies, to live in an environment that won't kill your children; liberty to enjoy minimum health care and enough income so you or your children don't starve; the liberty of a safety net when times are bad while you get back on your feet; liberty to participate in a fair mental health system so prisons are not the only answer; liberty to strive for a good education and a good job despite race or gender or anything else discriminatory. Liberty to live.
When they say, "You have a homosexual agenda," say, "No, I love liberty." When they say, "You want to kill babies," say, "No, I just want the choice that liberty provides." When they say, "You're an environmental whacko," say, "No, I just want my children and future generations to have the liberty to enjoy life without environmental torture."
On and on, it's all about liberty, and there is a common denominator to liberty as well, and that is this: due process.
Without due process of law, we have no liberty because we have no access to the courts when our liberty is denied. This includes habeas corpus and the various appeals and writs. A right to a fair and impartial day in court is fundamental to liberty, and liberty is fundamental to everything we want, and it is fundamental to everything America stand for. That is why liberty for one is liberty for all, from the most heinous criminal to the mother who doesn't want her child to choke on the polluted air.
Yeah, we're tired of them terrorizing our liberties and we won't take it anymore.
So next time they try to define you or us, tell them you love liberty with a love that can never die. Then ask them why they hate liberty and hate America so much. Feel free to use your favorite curse words if you wish. But make it clear, they no longer define you or the Democratic party.
The Democratic party is the party of liberty.
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