Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

Liberals are Democrats who still put liberty first. Back when socialists had no foothold in America, certainly not in the Democratic Party of JFK or Lyndon Johnson, it could be assumed that Democrats were Liberals. The ideals of Liberals were formed by moon landings, political protests, and most of all, The Cold War. Back then, the Democratic Party used to talk about upward mobility in the Classical Liberal sense. A Classical Liberal supports progressive taxation, full employment, conservation, universal healthcare, and government regulation of business. Liberalism is still the choice for upper mobility & the Middle Class, because it tries to tear down the entrenched aristocracy to increase liberty for more people.

Being liberal was why one was a Democrat. Republicans tried to demonize the word “liberal,” but they only succeeded in driving a wedge between erstwhile allies because whereas Liberals still put liberty first, the current majority of the Democratic Party, the Progressives, are eschewing liberty for paternalism, the true threat to American ideals. Unfortunately, Liberal is often confused with Progressive. The debate in this country would become much clearer if the Progressives would simply adopt the Socialism label rather than having to give an explanation of why they aren't socialists. Liberals are an ever-narrowing slice of the Democratic Party, and since we are a 2-Party system with no foreseeable way to change it, they have no place to go...