I try never to use the term “liberal” for RATS and their ilk.
I much prefer the more descriptive “leftist.”
Or, if I’m among very good friends, “communist.”
We are actually the liberals. Today’s conservatism is about three fourths the classical liberalism of Locke, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, and pretty much all of the Founding Fathers. Mix into this a healthy dollop of classical conservatism as expounded by Edmund Burke, which itself drew heavily from the classical liberal tradition.
Today’s left should never be referred to as “liberals” for the simple reason that they hate liberty — except for the liberty to lord it over regular folks and control every aspect of their lives.
That is, “liberty for me but not for thee.”
I think you argument makes a certain sort of sense, but when we allowed the Left to shed the word “Liberal” in search of a new identity, “Progressive”, we handed them a great big victory.
We should have shoved that word down their throats for all time.
Going back decades and centuries to reclaim old meanings is not victory. It’s simply submission.
They were getting literally pounded under the term Liberal, and we let them weasel out of it.