Redefining The Word

Trey Smith

The word, "liberal," used to describe a political position that is forward looking and not mired in bygone days. Liberals used to desire to cast off the vestiges of our feudal past and to move toward a world that mitigated capitalism's worst aspects. By and large, liberals were strong advocates of civil rights/liberties and against imperialistic wars of aggression.

Sadly, through the efforts of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, to be liberal doesn't mean the same thing anymore. To be a liberal now means to adopt the positions of what it was to be a conservative a generation or two ago and, of course, to be a conservative these days means to fall off the right edge of the page!

In Sunday's column, Glenn Greenwald makes this point in terms of liberal acquiescence to our "liberal" warmongering president!

Contrary to [Bergen’s] generous belief that progressives are deluding themselves about Obama’s militarism, many are fully aware of it and, because it’s a Democrat doing it, have become aggressively supportive of it. That, without a doubt, will be one of Obama’s most enduring legacies: transforming these policies of excessive militarism, rampant secrecy and civil liberties assaults from right-wing radicalism into robust bipartisan consensus (try though they might, not even progressives will be able to turn around and credibly pretend to object to such things the next time there is a GOP President).

It pains my heart to no end that so many of today's "liberals" see nothing wrong with our nation's direct responsibility for killing so many innocent civilians in Muslim countries. It is as if these lives somehow are not equal in worth to our own! It is a callous and egocentric position to stake out and yet so many liberals are staking it out with glee.

This is one of the prime reasons I call myself a leftist and NOT a liberal. Liberals used to have a moral backbone and would stand up against aggression in all its forms, regardless of who was proffering it. No more. Today, most liberals only stand against it when it fits into their political calculus (i.e., when a Republican is the head cheerleader).

I find the redefinition of the word, liberal, to be a disgusting spectacle!