In this video, MSNBC's Allison Stewart discusses with presidential historian Richard Shenkman how 'liberal' has become, through reinforcement by political ads and talking points, a 'dirty word' in modern politics.
"Throughout history," says Shenkman, "conservatives used to typically demonize the people. Now they no longer want to demonize people... instead, they demonize liberals."
On liberals' tendency to distance themselves from being identified as such, Shenkman remarks, "[They] have this problem with it, where they'll say 'I'm not a liberal, I'm a progressive,' or 'I'm a centrist,' or 'I'm a moderate'; they're really liberal, but they want to get rid of that label, so they'll say they don't believe in that label."
