The way I see it, liberals are no more friendly to liberty in sum than the red state fascist types. The only reason most leftists are so anti these days is not because of real principle, but because their perceived opposites are in power.
The question is not which brand of socialism is the right one, but whether or not the rights of the individual are paramount.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a hell of a lot of useful information and perspective to be gained by listening to and reading lefties, it’s just that in their eagerness to be the opposite of the Republicans (a respectable enough desire) they fall for the oldest trick in the book. Unlike the rightwingers who were pretty anti government in the 1990’s, beyond just Clinton hatred, most on the left seem to still be complaining about what government isn’t doing for them, and how they wish it was their way, instead of realizing that the problem is state power itself.
“Eh, what are you gonna do?” – Homer Simpson