2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Progressive Pragmatism versus Liberal Elitism [View all]Hortensis
(58,785 posts)That would be most of the definition of her.
But the particularly partisan Bernie supporters as "liberals?" NO. I am a liberal and have been strongly struck many times here by the fact that these hostile, combative, hyper-partisan people are very, very different, and specifically NOT liberal. I have nothing in common with them, no more than with tea-partiers, except an intersection on some issues, but the issues are paramount with me, and supporting an inspiring personality and exercising their hostility on their evil opponents is paramount with most of them.
Many often express dislike of liberals to the point that an identification of anti-liberals fits them, also left-wing reactionaries, far left but not liberal. Others I suspect lack sufficient self awareness to be able to label themselves into any recognized grouping. "Progressive" changes meaning almost from person to person these days, after all. Here the hyper-ardent have decided it'll mean pro-Bernie and burn down the establishment.
And others probably are hiding where they come from, although a few (typically more balanced Bernie supporters) have admitted they are conservative or were Republicans. A large number display the typical delayed populist anger of the unengaged who finally became angry, and those could come from anywhere. Pew says there is a whole group of conservatives who are currently leaning left economically, but right socially, and I'm sure DU's become a gathering place for some of those -- witness the racial tensions here.
So, NOT liberal, please? Liberal is a fine and noble thing to be. Most of the advances of civilization are the result of liberal thinking on societies.