Yes, unfortunately so. Democrats/Leftists have co-opted the term and inverted its meaning.
> They aren’t traditional Liberals...
Not one bit. The very opposite.
> They aren’t progressives either unless they think that means regressive. They’re going backward into the dark ages again...
I recoil when liberal friends embrace the word "progressive" because as you say, it's the exact opposite of what they are working toward.
> I’d like to think Conservatism covers most of Classical Liberalism, but the RINOs have jumped on that with both feet and broken it.
At one time, in Barry Goldwater's day, they were very similar. Today, not so much.
> I think true Conservatives come pretty close, but perhaps you can point out some ways that’s a flawed premise.
It's not flawed. I would encourage you to check out two quotes I put on my FR Profile page, from Barry Goldwater -- arguably the father of modern Conservatism -- and from Ronald Reagan. The Goldwater quote is from the closing passages of his 1960 book "Conscience of a Conservative", but it reads like a libertarian manifesto. The Reagan quote is from a 1975 interview in Reason magazine, a libertarian publication.
I chose those quotes because they describe pretty well how I view things, and why I am on FreeRepublic as my forum of choice for such discussions.
Thanks for our enjoyable exchange tonight, a very pleasant way to close the day.
Thank you.
Actually, I think a lot more discussion here should be like
that, but I’m not a saint either, so I guess we take it where
we can get it when we can get it, if you catch my drift.
I appreciate the remarks, the follow up too.