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In reply to the discussion: Resolved? Hillary Clinton is a Liberal Democrat [View all]LWolf
(46,179 posts)but it would only hold for so long before it got corrupted, like all the rest.
dlc=centrist=progressive="new democrat"=3rd way=neo-liberal
That last one is key. Neo-liberals claim "liberal" status because they are economically liberal. We need something that is socially but not economically liberal.
I sometimes use "left," but that's problematic, too. It can refer to anyone to the left of fascism, which includes a hell of a lot of folks right of the global center. It can also be used to marginalize us as "fringe." And, of course, it can also refer to actual leftists, which are fairly rare in the U.S..
The closest I've come is "leftist libertarian" from the political compass. I find their ratings to be pretty accurate, but much of DU does not agree, because their Democratic icons generally appear right of center as mildly to moderately authoritarian right.