Why is the term ''liberal" used as a term of abuse in US politics?

[Chris M]

I come from the UK and I notice several answers often use the term ''liberal'' as a dismissive term of denigration for any view that opposes US conservative political ideology. Why is this and is it really justified? Does it suggest that conservatives are rather frightened by so-called liberals?
Beliver [sic] is your geography so bad that you don't know the United Kingdom is ACROSS the English Channel from France? You've just lived up to a stereotype there.

 

[Harald Hardrada]

Here in America Liberal means communist, terrorist appeasing scum!

 

[honest1]

No it isn't justified............consevatives have a bad habit of thinking they are so much more superior then anybody else.That is why they use the term so dismissively.They seem to forget it was the unions and the common folk who made America one of the greatest nations on earth.
Their hero Reagan boke the unions by firing the air traffic controllers in the early 80s.

 

[Lamplighter]

Liberal, liberally, liberate, liberty...

Liberal.

It's a very good word.

 

[larry]

Because practically every liberal policy enacted in this country has become a disaster.

 

[Richard_Guttman]

To call someone a name is a shortcut to avoid thinking and communication.

 

[crknapp79]

The liberal movement was started in the early 60s..Only then, they referred to themselves as progressives. However, it was just a cover for the American Communist Party. As soon as people found this out, the party quickly changed from Progressives to Liberals.
Liberals made their way into the Democratic party, and have damn near taken it over. Look at past democrats and what they stood for and then look at today's dems and you'll see a night and day difference. After all, it was a Democrat president that dropped not one but two of the worlds most powerful (at the time) bombs on Japan.

Now that people are catching on to the fact that liberals=communist, they want to be called progressives again, so by calling them liberals it exposes them for what they really are. Sadly, a lot of young liberals are very unaware of what they are supporting, and what damage it would do to this nation and the world.

 

[xialou1]

I am liberal and they call me liberal as if it is a bad word, i am a proud liberal, it is a compliment of awareness, and compassion

 

[Beliver]

ask the same question to every liberal who has ever called us Conservatives "neocons". come to think of it, maybe your starting to get the idea of "fair" U.S. media. ask the same question to the other side! lemme guess. your from France, right? so how are the cheese eating surrender monkeys on the other side of the ocean?

 

[oohhbother]

It was given that connotation by a Karl Rove technique called "redefining". Their pundits and paid News shills continually abused the term liberal and tied it to every bit of FAR left nonsense that came along, until nobody could remember anything else.
They are currently redefining the term socialism to mean taxes and government spending on social issues.

 

[scubadog35]

In my definition, "liberal" is about the worst name that you could call another person. To me it is symbolic of an anti-American, flag burning abortionist that refuses to support their nation in anything and whines about their next hand out not being enough. A person that expects the GOVT to provide for them because they are either too incompetent or to lazy to do this for themselves.

We arent alone in our generalizations. Liberals like to use the word neocon, not realizing its true meaning. They look at this as an insult as I see the word liberal. It goes both ways.

 

[RayN-is-back]

No more frightened than if I call a punk kid a 'punk' But you are from the U K I've spent time there you people stay up day and nite to "prove" how liberal,kind ,understanding,and caring they are, just ask any of them. I would think there is a big debate weather that old lady should be beat ,going on right now

 

[witwwats]

It is an accurate term that describes a section of the political spectrum.

That it denigrates, is the fault of the Faction.

There is no fear, only disgust.

 

[Lawrence]

Even Liberals are eschewing the label in the US, in favor of "Progressives".

Both are euphemisms for "proponents of higher taxes and bigger, more intrusive government". (Which, in reality, is regressive...)

 

[gustooch]

most liberals are elitist idiots.