h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When I started this topic, one of the main examples I was thinking of was a British MP from the Liberal Democrat party, whom I heard on the radio. He mentioned that he had been over to America a few times recently, and was pretty welcome for an association with the Democrat party, although he "rather had to whisper the 'liberal' part" because it has such negative connotations.
So, either the liberal policies about which people complain are traditionally those of the Democrats, but they have more recentyl moved away from them to a more popular stance; or we are mistaken about the association between US liberalism and US Democrats. Or the MP was wrong, although everybody in the studio seemed to take his comment as a truism.

I think it is a truism, from a UK perspective - 'liberal' isn't used with the same sneering tone here that I often hear accompanying its use in American political debate.

And that's the mystery that I'm trying to get to the heart of: why the sneer?

Now that we've established that American "liberals" are really social democrats, it's pretty easy:

1) Wool-headedness, as I discussed before.
2) Socialism is *highly* unpopular in the US, though many don't overtly recognize Democrat policies as socialist.

But then there is another, very ugly reason for the sneer:

1) A very organized, concerted group of television and talk radio commentators who are bitter, vicious, and unprincipled in their attacks on liberals.

There's a great film about a group of wealthy liberals whose principles drive them to become very illiberal in their approach - 'The Last Supper' featuring Ron Perlman as such a commentator. Well worth a look.

Thanks. I may well do that.