Being a "Liberal"

I had told someone that my next topic was going to be the Catholic Church. After all, I am a Catholic, and much has been going on in this august body lately. But, some other things have just set me off recently, so I felt I had to, once again, comment on being a - here comes that dreaded nasty word - LIBERAL.

Perhaps it's because I have received so many negative e-mails in the last few days from "Conservatives" or people who just hate Obama or Democrats in general. Or maybe it's because one of my neighbors recently said to my bride, "If you like Hitler, you must love Obama". This person was attempting to coerce my wonderful wife, who is much less liberal than I, into attending a meeting of the Tea Party that is coming up. Fortunately, my bride is also highly intelligent and knows when to say no to invitations such as these.

In any case, I consider myself a "Liberal". That word, and philosophy, was once considered to be honorable. But during the last 25 years or so, it has become hated. My belief is that it really got ugly with the rise of talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh who, when Clinton was elected President, began a daily assault on him with his (Limbaugh's) "Day 126(or whatever) of America held hostage", coinciding, of course, with Clinton's inauguration.

Many of the same people who send me such hated-filled, vitriolic e-mails seem to be both uninformed and hypocritical. Here's a recent situation:

Regarding Health Care Reform, I received a particularly nasty e-mail from a long-time friend recently that strongly criticized Government "Take-over" of health care and "all the damn entitlement programs" - while also saying not to touch his Medicare. When I pointed out that Medicare is a Government run program - and also an entitlement program that he was benefiting from, he responded with, "Yeah, but that's different. These Democrats are socialists." I further pointed out that both Social Security (Franklin Roosevelt) and Medicare (LBJ) were initiated by Democrats. He just got mad at me.

In fact, we Idiot LIBERALS were responsible for Social Security. Medicare. Voting Rights for Women - and for African Americans. Civil Rights too. Welfare for our poorest citizens - and Then Welfare Reforms(under Bill Clinton). Food Stamps. Entitlements? You bet. They are protections for those of us who have fallen on hard times. And regardless of what the so-called "Compassionate Conservatives" might say, most of us utilizing the entitlements aren't doing so just to beat the system. It's because the system beat us.

So, yes, I am a liberal. I am tired of defending my position of being one too. I wish the Democratic party would simply grow a pair; start waging the same kind of non-stop P.R. Campaign that the Republicans and Conservatives have done for the last 25 years; admit being Liberal, and wipe the shame off the word once and for all.

They need to put this quote in front of themselves:

"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.”

– President John F. Kennedy

Old Fart Mike