President Obama has been labeled a radical liberal by many conservatives. Yet, this is a president who increased our military presence in Afghanistan and supports the building of more nuclear power plants. There are some animal-rights activists, particularly those concerned about protecting whales from commercial fishermen in international waters, who are concerned Obama is not in their corner. These don't seem to be the things that define liberalism. Perhaps labels are nothing more than an easy way to cast stones at the opposition.
Here's what John F. Kennedy said about liberalism in a 1960 speech:
What do our o
pponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But 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."
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