Why is liberal a bad word...

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
witness Phil Och's song (and Zeno favorite), "Love Me, I'm a Liberal."



[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't even know this was a favorite of mine. But I guess so:

Love Me, I'm a Liberal
By Phil Ochs


I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
Tears ran down my spine
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
As though I'd lost a father of mine
But Malcolm X got what was coming
He got what he asked for this time
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
Of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
As long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crane?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I read New Republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I vote for the democtratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal




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[Ray Zee]

it isnt what you are labeled, its what you do that counts. if you leave the next administration with massive debt and inflation, they will have to raise taxes somehow. if you cut programs as a conservative too much then the next liberal administration must come in and currect it by overspending. thats how it works. each side has to go overboard to satisfy their constituents. the system is broken and thats the problem not the party in power.
if conservative is stopping abortion, cutting social security, forcing our views on the world, spending ourselves broke on the military, then i want to be a liberal.
if liberalism is spending ourselves broke on welfare for able workers and immigrants, raisng taxes, spending on foreign countries to buy allegience, trying to improve the school systems with more money, then i want to be a conservative.

[Phat Mack]

OK, I'll fess up. It's the Jello Biafra version, not the Phil Ochs original, that Zeno liked. (At least I think it was Zeno, I may have my misanthropists confused.)

Prairie Home Invasion
Love Me I'm a Liberal

I cried when they shot John Lennon
Tears ran down my spine
And I cried when I saw "JFK"
As if I'd lost a father of mine
But Malcom-X and Ice-T had it coming
They got what they asked for this time

Chorus:
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm a liberal

I go to pro-choice rallies
Recycle my cans and jars
I'll honk if you love the Dead
Hope those funny Grunge bands become stars
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit to far

Chorus:
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm a liberal

I cheered when Clinton was chosen
My faith in the system reborn
I'll do anything to save our schools
If my taxes aint too much more
And I love Blacks and Gays and Latinos
As long as they don't move next door

Chorus:
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm a liberal

Rush Limbaugh and the L.A.P.D.
Should all hang thier heads in shame
I can't understand where they're at
Arsenio should set them straight
But if neighborhood watch doesn't know you
I hope the cops take your name

Chorus:
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm a liberal

Yeah, I read the New Republican
Rolling Stone and Mother Jones too
If I vote it's a democrat
With a sensible economy view
But when it comes to terrorist Arabs
There is no one more red, white, and blue

Chorus:
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm a liberal

Once I was young and had an attitude
Stickers covered the car I drove in
Even went on some direct actions
When there weren't rent-a-cops to be seen
Ah, but now I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in

Chorus:
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm a liberal


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[jj_frap]

[ QUOTE ]
while conservative is not?

Aren't they pretty much two sides of the same coin? Aren't they essentially neutral words?

Several posters and many notable Republicans today use the word "liberal" as if it is an insult. I would think it was especially stupid if the Democrats did not react as though it was an insult. So, I am just wondering...

By the way, even though I feel the flames coming, I am not a liberal. I'm actually a moderate who leans toward conservatism. But...I also have a degree in English, so I'm naturally curious about particular word usage.

There you go...flame on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Liberal is a very bad word because its working definition differs in virtually every jurisdiction (everything from centre-left in the U.S. to civil libertarians with moderate economic views in the U.K. to neo-Nazi in Russia to centrist in most (but not all) of Canada), making it virtually useless when analysing and comparing ideologies and regimes.

[TomCollins]

Ray Zee/ El Diablo 2008

[DVaut1]

Ray,

Let me be the first to say your book brought my Stud game to a whole new level.

However,

[ QUOTE ]
if liberalism is spending ourselves broke on welfare for able workers and immigrants, raisng taxes,

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't figure this (this = what's in bold) for the life of me.

At least tax and spending is consistent; I'll never be able to square tax cutting and spending.

[Hal 2000]

[ QUOTE ]
Ray,

Let me be the first to say your book brought my Stud game to a whole new level.

However,

[ QUOTE ]
if liberalism is spending ourselves broke on welfare for able workers and immigrants, raisng taxes,

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't figure this (this = what's in bold) for the life of me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Neither can I. When you spend $100 billion and counting on a war, them extra dollars can come in quite handy.

[ QUOTE ]

if conservative is stopping abortion, cutting social security, forcing our views on the world, spending ourselves broke on the military, then i want to be a liberal.
if liberalism is spending ourselves broke on welfare for able workers and immigrants, raisng taxes, spending on foreign countries to buy allegience, trying to improve the school systems with more money, then i want to be a conservative.

[/ QUOTE ]

I really like this post.

[DVaut1]

[ QUOTE ]
Neither can I. When you spend $100 billion and counting on a war, them extra dollars can come in quite handy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I only meant - how can you spend yourself 'broke' by raising taxes? That sounds rather impossible to me.

But certainly, I can't square President Bush's tax-cutting AND spending.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Neither can I. When you spend $100 billion and counting on a war, them extra dollars can come in quite handy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I only meant - how can you spend yourself 'broke' by raising taxes? That sounds rather impossible to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can sure as hell bankrupt your children by forcing them to pay 25% more in taxes to FUND ALL THE EXTRA F***ING DEBT that is being racked up.