There is a difference between a classical liberal and a modern liberal.
A classical liberal is someone who advocates free markets, free trade, private property rights, fair elections and maximum civil liberties.
Classical liberals were men like John Locke, Adam Smith and Patrick Henry.
Since 1913, socialists in the USA have changed the meaning of the word liberal.
A modern liberal is someone who advocates censorship, gun control, planned economics, collective ownership, government regulation and excessive taxation.
You say potato, I say .....
I’m reading a book called, “The Death of Liberalism” by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.
He makes your points exactly. The classic liberal was nothing like today’s liberal/progressives.
When you read their differences .. it’s stunning!!