I'm Liberal and Damned Proud of It!

As the upcoming elections approach, we'll begin to be inundated with an onslaught of campaign commercials. The attack ads against Democratic candidates will almost certainly include an announcer who will use the term liberal, saying it with a tone that is dripping with acidity and a pejorative tone. In many areas of the country, this tactic will work as Republican candidates have been allowed by the Dem's to use the term as if it's a bad thing! The public has been conditioned over the last 20 years to hear the word in a negative light. I'm going to admit that I, too, have used the term progressive rather than liberal.

George Clooney, recent Oscar winner and producer of the film Good Night and Good Luck, recently wrote a column in which he came clean and, GASP!, admitted his liberalism. He stated "Too many people run away from the label. They whisper it like you'd whisper "I'm a Nazi." " Clooney said, "I am a liberal. And I make no apologies for it. Hell, I'm proud of it." Well George, make that two of us. *

What does being a liberal mean? Being a liberal means one prefers a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals. It means favoring limitations on the power of government, religion and, yes, corporations. It means recognizing how vital the rule of law and the free exchange of ideas are. It means working for a system of government that is transparent. It means recognizing that dissent when your government is doing wrong has nothing to do with disloyalty. It means that individuals are entitled to some basic level of well being and that this takes precedent over the freedom from taxation. It means that the wrongs perpetrated by government will be addressed and changed (think slavery, think suffrage, think denial of civil rights). It means evolving as a society. It means progress as a nation and a people. It means, per the dictionary:

-Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
and
-Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

So recognizing what the word means, my profile has now been changed to "Just your average, middle aged, gay, LIBERAL, recovering individual with a sense of humour and a passionate sense of politics." It's time to take the word back and use it in the proud way it should be.

Yes, I'm a Liberal!

*News item today (3/16/06) states that Clooney is disputing the blog posting with Arianna Huffington. There is no indication he retracted comments about being a liberal