When Liberal Became a Dirty Word 1 1984 : When Liberal Became a Dirty Word

For over a hundred years, the Republican Party used the word “liberal” positively in its platforms and proudly wore the liberal mantle. That may surprise you, but it is true. The finding comes from analyzing words used in all 40 Republican Party presidential year platforms from the party’s origin in 1856 to its 2012 election campaign. In contrast, the 44 Democratic Party platforms staunchly—but not consistently—embraced the liberal label since its first real platform in 1840. Concerning “conservative,” neither party mentioned it either frequently or prominently in any of its party platforms. Ordinary citizens may not care much about party platforms and the words they use, but party activists care a lot. The wording of a platform plank often means the difference between victory and defeat to intraparty factions, and new phrasing may foretell new party emphases. Party platforms tell a lot about party politics at the time and over time. For over a hundred years, neither party rephrased “liberal” in any significantly different way, so there was no story to tell about new party emphases. From 1960 to 1980, however, both recast “liberal” into “liberalizing” and “liberalization”—themselves both positive economic terms. Then in 1984, the Republican Party’s rhetoric dramatically and darkly switched, and liberal became a dirty word. The story of how both parties used the term over time is described with frequent illustrations from both parties’ platforms. We begin with the Republican Party in 1860.