Why Have Liberals Abandoned the Concept of Liberty

I agree with H. N Hirsch when he writes that "Liberals lack a totally persuasive constitutional theory, and will continue to lack such a theory so long as they remain uncomfortable with historical analysis and with the idea of liberty." (A Theory of Liberty, 8). Liberals have abandoned the concept of liberty to libertarians and conservatives allowing them to define the terrain defined by the term liberty. It is critical to liberals to reclaim that concept of liberty and to articulate an understanding of how the concept of liberty fits with and supports a progressive view of society. Contrary to what conservatives claim, liberal views are not "socialist" but are fully in accordance with the tradition of liberty as defined by the modern tradition and within the founding ideas and traditions of the United States. My own essays on liberty are an attempt to fully develop a progressive view of liberty. http://www.freedomandcapitalism.com/