General Discussion

Maedhros

(10,007 posts)

75. Remember when Republicans set out to demonize the word "Liberal"?

Thu Mar 27, 2014, 06:02 PM

Mar 2014

Every time a Republican appeared on television, they made sure to insert a sneering, vitriolic reference to "Liberals" into their soundbite. And it worked. After a while, all they had to do was call something "Liberal" and there would be a knee-jerk negative response. Liberals even began running way from the term themselves, to avoid the false negative associations implanted into the public consciousness by the Right.

Here on DU the same thing is happening, only the sneering and vitriol are directed at "Libertarians". And it has sunk in. Now, all that posters need to do is to accuse someone of being "Libertarian" to deflect their message or denigrate their character. Say something critical of the President or the Party? YOU ARE A LIBERTARIAN!!!11!1!!

It's background noise, best ignored (in the most literal sense).

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The Liberal Left is the Base of the Party [View all] RobertEarl Mar 2014 OP

Links? frazzled Mar 2014 #1

You consider yourself Liberal left? RobertEarl Mar 2014 #7

links? JaneyVee Mar 2014 #11

Links? RobertEarl Mar 2014 #62

Sure ... frazzled Mar 2014 #63

Cool RobertEarl Mar 2014 #64

Message auto-removed Name removed Mar 2014 #22

Are you one of those who call leftists "corporatists" frazzled Mar 2014 #58

Welcome to DU, Blazer RobertEarl Mar 2014 #65

Remember when Republicans set out to demonize the word "Liberal"? Maedhros Mar 2014 #75

I am member of the Democratic Party. Labels are useless as they are not easy to define and lumpy Mar 2014 #129

We are all liberal left here. CJCRANE Mar 2014 #2

I know who it is! Capt. Obvious Mar 2014 #5

Not nonsense at all from me RobertEarl Mar 2014 #10

I'm not about to jump through a hoop on your demand. nt CJCRANE Mar 2014 #13

See? RobertEarl Mar 2014 #61

So am I. You are not the only liberal on here. CJCRANE Mar 2014 #67

That's fine RobertEarl Mar 2014 #69

Because you are making it like a McCarthyite witch hunt. I've been here a long time CJCRANE Mar 2014 #72

Using the McCarthy word now? RobertEarl Mar 2014 #82

You started the namecalling and you know it. This whole OP is just a big call out. CJCRANE Mar 2014 #83

This message was self-deleted by its author CJCRANE Mar 2014 #84

It seemed like more of an invitation than a Ed Suspicious Mar 2014 #79

It's a game. When did you stop beating your wife? CJCRANE Mar 2014 #80

I don't think we are all liberal left here. progressoid Mar 2014 #100

obama has high approval among liberal dems, he does horrible among conservatives JI7 Mar 2014 #3

That sounds true to me Progressive dog Mar 2014 #36

funny thing, a lot of these "trolls" held the same views they did on 1/19/2009 as they do today.. frylock Mar 2014 #86

du rec. xchrom Mar 2014 #4

Obama's approval ratings with liberal democrats sufrommich Mar 2014 #6

It's 88.9% Capt. Obvious Mar 2014 #8

LOL n/t fleabiscuit Mar 2014 #93

The liberal democrats you refer to have not been vetted by DU's ... JoePhilly Mar 2014 #16

You certainly do not represent the Libeal base RobertEarl Mar 2014 #17

I represent myself and don't make sufrommich Mar 2014 #20

You represent yourself?? RobertEarl Mar 2014 #24

You're just reaching for whatever sufrommich Mar 2014 #26

Just repeating your words RobertEarl Mar 2014 #71

so aside from representing yourself Bodhi BloodWave Mar 2014 #118

Interesting. Did you know that many of those groups formed a coalition before the last election sabrina 1 Mar 2014 #128

You might want to re-aquaint yourself with this link: Raine1967 Mar 2014 #28

This^^^^^ nt riqster Mar 2014 #45

I'm half tempted to post the entire link as an OP, but these days, Raine1967 Mar 2014 #50

They probably are all just lying about being Liberal, Progressive dog Mar 2014 #39

Obama is at something like 85% approval among liberal Dems. DanTex Mar 2014 #9

what percentage of people here do you believe to be anti-Obama.. frylock Mar 2014 #89

Well, I certainly don't think 85% of people here approve of Obama. DanTex Mar 2014 #97

So you'll be working to GOTV for Democrats in 2014, right? JoePhilly Mar 2014 #12

Been doing it since 2006 RobertEarl Mar 2014 #21

You should take responsibility for your own emotions. JoePhilly Mar 2014 #23

I'm a bit confused...How does.. SunsetDreams Mar 2014 #29

Joe and I go back a bit RobertEarl Mar 2014 #33

Since when it is a personal attack SunsetDreams Mar 2014 #44

Let's try this ... you just accused me of a personal attack ... JoePhilly Mar 2014 #66

Didn't warrant a jury RobertEarl Mar 2014 #68

Haven't you already determined that you get to decide who the "liberal base" refers to? JoePhilly Mar 2014 #70

Please stop with the personal attacks!!!! zappaman Mar 2014 #73

And you should see the ... JoePhilly Mar 2014 #74

Post removed Post removed Mar 2014 #78

You crack me up. JoePhilly Mar 2014 #81

Bahahaha, locked out of his own thread... giftedgirl77 Mar 2014 #104

Poster is now on a bit of a vacation. zappaman Mar 2014 #112

Plus there is no actual discussion of policy CJCRANE Mar 2014 #34

OP knows best. zappaman Mar 2014 #46

Exactly. SunsetDreams Mar 2014 #48

well if it's too hard and you're not enthusiastic enough to do it treestar Mar 2014 #40

Stop confusing the Liberal Left with the Ideologues posting crap on DU. KittyWampus Mar 2014 #14

yup, in fact i'm pretty sure many of them are right wing trolls JI7 Mar 2014 #15

yep. people here since 2002 are right-wing trolls.. frylock Mar 2014 #91

There you go RobertEarl Mar 2014 #19

That only works when you self-appoint yourself as a liberal monitor and then call out others CJCRANE Mar 2014 #31

Divide? Yep RobertEarl Mar 2014 #38

"The fake liberals who post here". Who made you the liberal monitor? CJCRANE Mar 2014 #41

you don't have the credibility to categorize DUers in these little boxes you feel they belong it. dionysus Mar 2014 #49

Sure I do RobertEarl Mar 2014 #59

Another lookup; fleabiscuit Mar 2014 #95

you have no clue what people here think.there's so much 24/7 criticism coming from every conceivable dionysus Mar 2014 #120

+1 redqueen Mar 2014 #25

Ding! Ding! Ding! Thread Winner! Tarheel_Dem Mar 2014 #96

Hey you! Number23 Mar 2014 #126

I think the TOS are a mere suggestion rather than a mandate these days. But I don't own the joint. Tarheel_Dem Mar 2014 #135

Might be good to define "liberal left" - different factions... polichick Mar 2014 #18

As someone that identifies as a liberal, GiveMeMorePIE Mar 2014 #27

UNREC brooklynite Mar 2014 #30

aren't democrats, by definition left wing? frylock Mar 2014 #92

Zell Miller and Dennis Kucinich. progressoid Mar 2014 #103

Kucinich? yes. frylock Mar 2014 #106

Zell headed "Democrats for Bush" progressoid Mar 2014 #113

Miller left the party, and Kucinich is sui generis Recursion Mar 2014 #121

The only division I see here being created SunsetDreams Mar 2014 #32

Says who? This is the flip side of saying that the bible thumpers are the base question everything Mar 2014 #35

Gawd RobertEarl Mar 2014 #47

The party is a big tent treestar Mar 2014 #37

"Without an active Liberal left, the party would be all republican." QOTD nationalize the fed Mar 2014 #42

Not really, moderates are the base of the party. Rex Mar 2014 #43

Were they the base, they would turn out to vote RobertEarl Mar 2014 #51

But the moderates have the numbers liberals just don't have. Rex Mar 2014 #52

I agree. It's misleading to suggest that the base is liberal. polichick Mar 2014 #54

It is a numbers game RobertEarl Mar 2014 #56

I don't know if they're the "base" of the party or not, if we're looking at sheer numbers. Common Sense Party Mar 2014 #53

That is what I meant, sheer number size. Rex Mar 2014 #55

Without moderate and conservative Democrats as well as a good number of Independent voters ... spin Mar 2014 #57

Nice spin, spin RobertEarl Mar 2014 #60

I sat down to watch Monday Night Football in December of 2006. ... spin Mar 2014 #99

Awesome post! SunsetDreams Mar 2014 #108

Thanks for your support. (n/t) spin Mar 2014 #109

Did it EVER occur to you that it just might work the other way? Raksha Mar 2014 #101

That's a fair question. ... spin Mar 2014 #117

Liberal left here..... Bobbie Jo Mar 2014 #76

My point? RobertEarl Mar 2014 #90

FWIW CJCRANE Mar 2014 #77

Post removed Post removed Mar 2014 #85

I've been here since 2002, I think I'll be here a while longer. CJCRANE Mar 2014 #88

Looks like his luck ran out. OilemFirchen Mar 2014 #98

But not before he edited his OP! CJCRANE Mar 2014 #102

Somebody fucked with him. OilemFirchen Mar 2014 #107

Well, he was banned from the E & E forum zappaman Mar 2014 #114

Holy shit Cali_Democrat Mar 2014 #124

Beats me. zappaman Mar 2014 #130

I support and vote for, the Democratic Platform. LanternWaste Mar 2014 #87

Let's hope not. BKH70041 Mar 2014 #94

ok i'll bite questionseverything Mar 2014 #111

so what are your top issues? grasswire Mar 2014 #115

Take your poison money to the TeaPubliKlans, that sounds more up your alley TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #123

There's a name for Democrats like you SwankyXomb Mar 2014 #133

liberal leftist, in my compass chart with a splash of anarchism on my own, who knew? juxtaposed Mar 2014 #105

True. But the Greens and other far-left progressives aren't part of the base of the party, pnwmom Mar 2014 #110

Right: "liberal" ... NOT "LIBERTARIAN"! baldguy Mar 2014 #116

Depends on what you mean by "base". Compare DU candidate support to the primaries Recursion Mar 2014 #119

We're still far enough off an election that JoeyT Mar 2014 #122

Actually the base is comprised primarily of women and people of color BainsBane Mar 2014 #125

Has anyone else noticed the OP's edit? Number23 Mar 2014 #127

Weird. zappaman Mar 2014 #131

Ya...that cracked me up! Cali_Democrat Mar 2014 #132

Oh please, everyone knows it's Reagan Democrats who are the base of the party Fumesucker Mar 2014 #134

lol! The "Principled Corporatist Democrats". Zorra Mar 2014 #136

You forgot historylovr Mar 2014 #137