General Discussion

One of the most common usages is that it is someone on the left. FDR administration used the word "liberalism" to describe New Deal programs. The word "Progressive" had fallen out of favor for some reason.



However, the real technical meaning of the word is quite different For instance Reaganomics is considered neoliberalism. Sometimes when people want to slur moderate Democrats, they will get called "neoliberals", which isn't true. For instance I've heard Bill Clinton called a neoliberal. However, Clinton was trying to bring back some of the programs which Reagan cut. He also was stuck with a GOP congress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
I really do not know a single Democrat who supports Reaganomics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

However, in common usage it's often referred to Democrats. I remember in the 70's it certainly was. I don't remember the word "Progressive" being used to describe anyone in the 70's, although we studied the "Progressive Era". I don't know why the word went out of favor and why the word "Liberal" became used almost always. I just remember people saying, "He/she is a liberal". Never heard anyone say, "They're progressive". So in the 70's they were using the 1930's version of liberialism.


During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration rebranded their platform. Progressivism had fallen out of favor, so FDR’s allies appropriated the term "liberal" to champion government intervention, the welfare state, and economic regulation. The "New Deal" redefined liberalism as a philosophy of active government responsibility to protect citizens, rather than minimal government interference. Since then, the term has stuck as a core label for the center-left.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/think-again-how-classical-liberalism-morphed-into-new-deal-liberalism/

Historically, "liberalism" meant the advocacy for free markets, individual rights, and limited government. The shift in the meaning of the word "liberal" to become associated with the left happened primarily in the United States during the 1930s https://www.cato.org/policy-report/may/june-2023/what-does-liberal-mean-anyway

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/wp-content/files_mf/1403210903legaciesofnewdealliberalism.pdf

OK...techy, techy...TLDR...LOL

Feel free to use whatever terms or understand that many use the terms interchangably! While it not be the most correct usage, it is what it is.

It is good to know the actual technical meaning, but common usage of "liberal" still pretty much means left wing politics, however in the last two decades "progressive" is coming back in favor.

However, if someone calls a Democrat like Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton or Obama a "neoliberal", it makes my skin crawl, because I know what they're doing. Yes, both are supportive of free markets, especially on a global scale and they support capitalism, but they certainly are not supportive of Reaganomics. Democrats support revenue for the good of the people and social economic programs with emphasis on those on the lower income scale to provide more equality versus corporative welfare. Reagan believed in cutting government revenue and spending and hell to those with lower income. Clinton and Obama have tried to find a balance between free-markets, while at the same time implementing supportive social programs, such as the ACA. (I have bad grammar and am no wordsmith)