[oldbrowser]

From the dictionary:
Etymology and definition . Words such as liberal, liberty, libertarian, and libertine all trace their history to the Latin liber, which means "free".

Why do we call these people liberals? they espouse the opposite of freedom. They seek to subjugate the population with their pretentious airs.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Marxist/Socialist statists stole “liberal.” Classical liberalism is the antithesis of what today’s “liberals” support.

[Carthego delenda est]

It’s a fairly long read, but Jonah Goldberg goes into great detail to answer your question in his book ‘Liberal Fascism’.

http://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Fascism-American-Mussolini-Politics/dp/0767917189