At a recent meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists, a panel of journalists defended the higher use of the word "conservative" to describe conservative think tanks. The panel claimed that conservative think tanks describe themselves as "conservative" or "free market," but liberal think tanks do not describe themselves as "liberal" or "socialist." Actually they don't call left-wing think tanks "think tanks" as that sounds like a cabal of sinister plotters. They are called "child advocacy groups", or "enviromental watchdog organizations", or some other name that connotates selfless defenders of the public good.
It gives me such a warm and fuzzy feeling when I see the lofty names of left wing think tanks.Conservative sounds so cold and uncaring so they must be just that....;)