most of my political heros were liberals--terry sanford, frank porter graham, robert kennedy.
i actually prefer to look at them as progressives and not liberals. there is a difference between the two. john kerry and john edwards are liberals, but there is nothing progressive about them. there is a shortage of progressives today.
Liberal is not a bad word. Remember Bush the Elder used the words liberal and democratic (small l, small d) when he described the Founders' ideals. Most of my heroes are liberal as well. At least back when liberal didn't mean taking away your rights to keep your income, bear arms, hire and fire whomever you want for whatever reason, etc. Presumably you don't like to be called a Liberal Republican. I also detest that label. (republicans won't like you 'cause you're "liberal" and democrats won't like you 'cause you're "republican" so you have to hang out with the geeks and libertarians.)
St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote, "Lord, grant me chastity. But not today." Everyone forgets, that like St. Francis of Assisi, he was a hardcore party animal and hedonist in his youth.
Taking sexual abstinence as a metaphor for the often more intense passions evoked in public policy debates, you might be called an Aquinas Moderate. I like to be called a Franciscan Moderate, but I can't get birds and mammals to flock near me. Anyway, Robert Kennedy is a moderate as well, so if he's one of your heroes, you may not be far off moderate.
