True Liberalism?

Question

Any liberals out there? You might be surprised to find that the liberalism practiced and advocated today is not true liberalism according to the founder of liberalism-John Stuart Mill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill#Theory_of_liberty

Answer 1

There is a lot in a name. And being honest is not always synonymous with winning elections.

Classical Liberalism ceased being the beacon of the Democratic party decades ago, but you cannot honestly refer to yourself as a "Socialist" and hope to hold a political office for any period of time. When I refer to Liberals, I use that term because that's what they call themselves, but I know most of the time it isn't accurate.

It's interesting that Conservatives get elected when they say what they mean. "Liberals" get elected when they say the opposite of what they mean.

Answer 2

Nobody has a monopoly on any ideology. We could all argue what true liberalism is just as we could argue what true conservatism is. You can do the same with most major religions, nationalities, and races. The only truth is is that people's worldviews don't fit into cookie cutter definitions. Labels must be used though to help us have some sense of organization for our social constructs. Liberalism today is different than it was yesterday, and it will be different tomorrow. On an interesting not liberalism in america has some socialist leanings whereas liberalism in europe has capitalist leanings.

Answer 3

Mill was an economist - a smart guy and all, but not the liberal model or firebrand (where did you get that idea?). However, his rejection of established religion has certainly proven insightful.

Try Thomas Paine, that is who you should have asked about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_paine

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edit –

I almost forgot. How is this for straying from your roots? In Barry Goldwater’s home state of Arizona, the republican party wants to rename the their main headquarters (named after BG, of course) because they say the name embarrasses them. they claim that both Goldwater, and now McCain are radical un-American liberals.