Leave it to conservatives to label intelligence a mental disease. |
For as long as I've been alive, one of the great asymmetries of American politics has been that mainstream Republican Party politicians proudly call themselves "conservative" whereas Democratic Party standard-bearers are reluctant to wear the "liberal" label.
But this chart from the Pew Center indicates that the time may be right for a change — with self-identified liberals now outnumbering self-identified moderates among rank-and-file Democrats, we should expect to see more Democratic elected officials coming out as liberals.
Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but I have NEVER stopped calling myself liberal even after the Right Wing did everything that they could to smear the word and make it as radioactive as possible.
I remember all too well how back in the 80's Ronald Reagan, Jerry Falwell, and others on the conservative side would spit the word out like it was a curse or something.
Even back then my whole attitude was well if these assholes hate that word then it must be the right thing to be. And I still feel that way today.
So let me just roll out the welcome mat for all of our new, or newly open, members and say that both you and your radical progressive ideas have found a home.
P.S. Oh yeah, I am also still openly calling myself an Atheist, so you all let me know when you are finally comfortable with THAT title and we will have ourselves a wild, and very liberal, drunken bacchanal.