During the last eight years of the Bush Administration, we saw a complete demonization of the word "Liberal".
Liberal, according to the Black Rovian philosophy of the time, seemed to include anyone who objected to war based on lies, anyone who objected to leaving their children a planet so toxic and polluted that every body of water comes with hypodermic syringes and a sheen of oil on top, or anyone who thought maybe taking gay sex out of airport bathrooms, and giving people who were in love and wanted commitment and fidelity, equal rights to commitment and fidelity, could be a good thing.
After eight years of Americans looking into the abyss, they seemed to begin to realize that the abyss was, indeed, looking back into them.
A slow comprehension began to creep across the collective psyche. "Hey, maybe liberal isn't so bad! Maybe its better than this creepy abyss!"
The same Black Rovian philosophy had eradicated any semblance of sanity within the once great party of Lincoln. It seemed to stand for everything it once stood against. For invasion of privacy, for unprecedented federal power, for big government and for looking into other people's bedrooms.
As is always the case in tales of the eternal endeavor to become more, not less, human, one stepped up who could lead away from the abyss. Elected, and installed in office, he began the task of eradicating the Black Rovian Darkness that had spread across the nation. It had infected everything, from the economy, to the mire of environmental filth.
The Black Rovians were appalled. They were so close! So close to unlimited power! So close to complete corruption! Damn them, damn those Liberals!
They needed a new meme, because Liberal just wasn't as scary anymore. Whats worse than Liberal? Socialist, of course! They would call them Socialists. It didn't matter to them that the real definition of socialist didn't fit the case, reality has no place in Black Rovian philosophy.
So began the task of calling Liberals, "Socialists". Aided by scores of people infected with the Black Rovian Virus, (we know them as "wingnuts" and Fox News), they began. But the strategy is too little, too late, and the people would rather do anything than be herded back to the abyss. Be socialist? OK! How bad can it be when we've already gazed into the abyss?
Republicans have pushed America farther and farther left, by redefining words. By demonizing words. Fear only works for so long, and the collective psyche will kill the fear it hates by acceptance of something previously unthinkable.
The Republican vision is too abhorrent, too fearful, too crazy. Republicans take note: If we are socialists in twenty years, it all began with you.