Do you think the Left should replace the word 'Liberal' with Progressive'?

[Dark]

With all the discussion on semantics today, I'd like to know. I'd heard talks of people trying to substitute the word progressive in for liberal because progressive hasn't been demonized. It sounds friendly and optimistic. Unfortunately, due to several repub's efforts, liberal, which means the same thing in the dictionary does not in the dialects.

Do you think that many moderates are scared away from the Democrats by the Repub's demonization of 'liberal'? Do you think that more moderates would realize that they share our beliefs if they don't think of them as 'liberal' thoughts?

[realFedUp]

1. Liberal fits

like a worn in pair of jeans. Maybe definitions
are warranted.

[Joylaughter]

2. I like Liberal

Definition: LIBERAL

1a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded. c. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism. d. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
2a. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor. b. Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.
3. Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation.
4. Of, relating to, or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum: a liberal education.
5a. Archaic Permissible or appropriate for a person of free birth; befitting a lady or gentleman. b. Obsolete Morally unrestrained; licentious.
NOUN: 1. A person with liberal ideas or opinions.
2. Liberal A member of a Liberal political party.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, generous, from Old French, from Latin lberlis, from lber, free. See leudh- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: liber·al·ly —ADVERB
liber·al·ness —NOUN

SYNONYMS: liberal, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, generous, handsome, munificent, openhanded These adjectives mean willing or marked by a willingness to give unstintingly: a liberal backer of the arts; a bounteous feast; bountiful compliments; a freehanded host; a generous donation; a handsome offer; a munificent gift; fond and openhanded grandparents. See also

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. No. I have made it my mission

to let the sheeple know that "I" LIKE being a LIBERAL and am proud as hell. They have tried to demonize the word and I won't let them. I wear my Liberal t-shirts A LOT. "LIBERAL AND PROUD OF IT." Not ONE repuke has EVER had the guts to say anything to me when I wear it. "In your face" politics is working for me.

And what the hell is wrong with Liberal thoughts?? WE are GOOD people trying to help the less fortunate in this country. We ALL should be PROUD to be called Liberals. "Better a Bleeding heart than NO heart!"(I saw that on a bumpersticker ;))

[Dark]

9. I'm with you on being proud of being liberal.

But, considering how many people don't think for themselves any more, and just act on feelings (and feel that liberal is bad, even though they most likely ARE liberal) would we be better to associate ourselves as 'progressives', would we recieve more votes?

[markomalley]

4. The historical meanings of the terms are pretty clear

I like "progressive" myself.

[freetobegay]

5. SHould we also change the name Democrat

Because the right doesn't like it also?

[bunk76]

12. Bingo....

freetobe....what is the saying...stand for something,or fall for anything? :evilgrin:

[NNadir]

6. No. In my experience most people describing themselves as "progressives"

are discussing people like Kucinich and Nader.

I would NOT like to be associated with these two.

We should be demonizing, as we are, "Neocon," "Right wing extremist" and "deserter" "fraud," "liar," "coward," as we are doing.

I think we're standing Toe to Toe with the Neocon Right Wing Fraudulent Lying Coward and we're giving him shots he simply can't take, because he's a Neocon Right Wing Fraudulent Lying Coward. The results are NOT instantaneous, but we are winning. I'm sure of it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. Although I LIKE being associated with Kucinich and

the rest of the Progressive Caucus, I agree that this is the territory that "progressive" covers. People who self-identify as progressives usually read Mother Jones and The Nation and vote Green when they think it's prudent.

[Sporadicus]

7. Good Question

I've wondered the same thing. After all, liberals in the House of Representatives call themselves the 'Progressive Caucus.' I subscribe to 'Progressive Secretary,' which forwards letters espousing a liberal viewpoint to various government officials in my name.

On the other hand, I like the idea of rehabilitating the word 'liberal,' while demonizing the word 'conservative' at the same time. I would have a sense of vindication seeing the word 'liberal' in daily use without the stigma currently attached to it.

Liberal / progressive - makes no difference to me. I use the terms interchangeably. Still, I would like to see 'liberal' used in a way that's not intended as a slur.

[markomalley]

8. Maybe the term "conservative"

should be replaced with the term "fascist." After all, it is a little more accurate, isn't it?

[VioletLake]

19. I like the idea of rehabilitating it.

The goal is to get the culture to identify as liberal again. Within a liberal culture, there is a place for progressives and conservatives. Ideally, the conservative impulse would act as a useful counterbalance to the progressive impulse. If progress can be likened to a wheel, progressives would control acceleration, and conservatives would control braking. It's a liberal wheel - and it only travels in one direction.

Unfortunately, conservatives have forced a situation that gives us little choice. We will rehabilitate the word "liberal" for the culture, and we'll help transform conservatism from a reverse-accelerator to a brake - which means taking it apart and putting it back together again.

[Zorra]

10. I like liberal, and like the term "Populist" more than progressive. n/t

[VioletLake]

11. What would George think?

"As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality."
- George Washington

[durutti]

13. They already have.

And it's more appropriate -- socialists, communists, anarchists, etc. are all leftist but not "liberals".

[Kahuna]

14. No. I hate the word "progressive." It's used to divide Democrats,

And it sounds pompous and grandiose by its users. "Snif snif, I'm a Progressive, and therefore so much more enlightened than you are. Snif snif. :puke:

[Eric J in MN]

15. Personally, I call myself a liberal.

If another person or organization considers itself "progressive," I have no objection to that.

[kentuck]

16. No. They should combine them and make them double-strong !

I AM A PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL !

[Cat Atomic]

17. No.

Giving up and changing to "Progressive" solves abosolutely nothing. They hate *you*, not your description. Whatever you choose to call yourself, you will be demonized.

It's alot like what the gay community did with the word "queer". They just embraced it, and took away it's power as an insult.

[Cleita]

18. This is the reason we shouldn't change it because the

Bushbots are defining who we are for us. We need to take our identity back. Progressive is okay, but they are dragging that word through the slime of perjorative adjectives already. This is what they do. They define the words with an adjective that isn't complimentary, like "tax and spend" liberals, latte liberals, welfare liberals and so on, but they call themselves compassionate conservatives and we let them. It's time our liberal media starts calling them chickenhawk conservatives, deal and steal conservatives, cook the books conservatives, no rich white guy left behind conservatives, etc..

[markomalley]

20. Call them what they are

Call them fascisti, which is what they are. Leave the label conservative alone. They aren't conservative (if they were, they wouldn't want a police state). They are fascists.

[Eric J in MN]

21. "cheap labor conservatives' is another one out there (nt)

nt

[UdoKier]

22. No, 'liberal' needs to be reclaimed.

'Progressive' sounds like a copout. Liberals need to embrace the term, explain its meaning to anyone who will listen and hammer away non-stop about how it was LIBERALISM that gave us the world' shighest standard of living in the 50s and 60s, and it is LIBERALISM that can get us out of the nightmare of diminished expectations and perpetual war.

I'm proud to be a liberal.

In the 70's, 'conservative' was very uncool. But the repugs embraced the term, and twisted it to mean "greedhead deficit spending Robin Hood for the Rich", but people still liked it because they EMBRACED it.

[ElkHunter]

23. Actually, until the right started demonizing the word...

...I NEVER called myself a liberal. For me, as someone who grew up in the 1960's, liberals were always "squishy". I always prefered a label that distiguished what I believed from the mild liberalism that I knew. For that reason I always liked the term "progressive" which I've always considered to the left of liberalism. But now that the right has demonized the word, and the left wing of liberalism has embraced it, I proudly call myself a liberal.

[The Revolution]

24. What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "liberal?"

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "liberal?" If by 'Liberal' they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party (US Democratic Party), and its members demonstrates that we are not that kind of 'Liberal.'

But if by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties - someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal' then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy