When did liberal become a dirty word?

I've only been able to vote since 92, so I hope some of the more experienced DUers can help me here. It seems that the Republicans have taken and embraced their description as Conservative, while the
Democrats have almost completely tried to disown their "liberal" label. So since when (and how) have the Republicans been able to take "liberal" and beat us up with it?

I don't think that either side has a monopoly on morality or right/wrong. People have different views of the world and each must be respected, even if they disagree....you agree to disagree. But, when did this become that being "liberal" become taboo?

My understanding of the Republicans is that they always do best when there is an enemy. That they love the us v. them rally flag. After the fall of Communism there really wasn't a new "them" to go after. So they've gone after the left. And based on that "those liberals are not like us", they've got their new "them".

I know this may be taking a very broad view of politics, but I was wondering if anyone had any insights or history as to what's happened.

Many consider Clinton's more "liberal" years to be a failure (1993-1994), and that's why "liberal" is now a bad word. Plus, Repugs have been motivating Evangelical idiots in the South to mobilize and move the country to the right.

The rise of the present day conservative stranglehold on the media began in 1964 with Barry Goldwater. At that time, the right wing saw the importance of media control. They began to forcefully push for it and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

"Liberal" has been a dirty word ever since then and continues to be a dirty word today.

Tax-And-Spend-Liberal-Democrat became one word.

Nope. Read "The Republican Noise Machine" by David Brock. An excellent read. It will make you mad as hell, but it is right on.

A Day with Joe Middle-Class Republican (Thank a Liberal)

http://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26218

About the time Karl Rove read Orwell's 1984 and thought it was a manual.

I believe I read about it in the Nation. At any rate that is when the "Con"servative think tanks began at the grass roots level to change the meaning of liberal.

I have said it before and I will say it again. Republicans put the "con" on conservatives.

Scuba

Don't be afraid of this word. Take it back.

Nixon created the meme "Liberal Media"

This move against us started in 1964 with Goldwater.

Reagan and Boosh 1 used it against Carter, Mondale and Dukakis.

It didn't work against Clinton because he wasn't.

But it worked against Gore and now Kerry.

George Washington , Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson were all liberals. They believed in the individual's rights whereas the Conservatives (or Tories) supported King George. (Not much has changed has it?) Then came a radical liberal by the name of Andrew Jackson, he believed in democracy. Then the most liberal president of all was, of all things a Republican, by the name of Abraham Lincoln. He freed the slaves while the Conservatives believed in human bondage (again not much has changed). Of course Teddy Roosevelt was another "liberal", (actually he preferred the term "progressive"). He was another radical who actually believed our free enterprise system should be competitive and free of monopolies. He helped established the "anti-trust laws" which are still in existence today. Well, then there was FDR and JFK and I guess you know the rest, but some of us old timers don't think "liberal" is such a bad word after all. I can't understand why anyone would want to run away from that label, unlessen thev'e forgotten what it means.