A weird thing about Americans (I’m European) is that they call socialists “liberals”. And they use the latter term as if it was a dirty word.
You see, I’m far from a socialist - I’d say I’m something akin to a libertarian, although there’s no libertarian-like party around here. However, I do consider myself a liberal - because, around here, “liberal” means someone who cherishes individual freedom (real freedom, not just “freedom to agree with me”), and who opposes any kind of authoritarism. It has nothing to do with socialism or collectivism or “big government” or social security or the “welfare state” or all those meanings they ascribe to the term; instead, its meaning comes from the origin of the word “liberal”: liberty.
But Americans, as I said, use it like a dirty word.
Strange country. 
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Yes, liberal simply has a different meaning in America. I am a “lowercase L” libertarian, and consider myself to be very conservative. This is because libertarianism seeks to preserve the original freedoms and rights guaranteed by the constitution, by limiting government control. I would assert that true American conservatives are libertarian in nature, not neo-conservative, big government, republicans.
Thanks for keeping us thinking.
mph