I wrote this definition of "The Liberal" in 2004, dismayed by how the word liberal was being smeared in American politics.
"There is among us one who dreams of a better tomorrow, who sees the potential for greater justice, and who gladly toils toward that end. Her basic impulse is faith -- in the abundance of human compassion, in the future, and in the essential mercy of Providence. Though mocked by those whose basic impuse is fear, she goes about her work in silent anonymity, sure that her calling is as necessary today as ever it was when more sang her praises. She will not resign, for as a mother never would forsake her baby's cries, her very being is in her work. Her name is Liberal."
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