Out of all the Presidents who could be called Liberal historically, who are the ones who were truly Liberal in their own personal ideology and not just Liberal for political pragmatism? Basically, Presidents who were "true believers" and not just Liberal because it was politically expedient to be.
Presidents who IMO could be called Liberal in today's politcal climate:
-Theodore Roosevelt
-William H. Taft
-Woodrow Wilson
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Harry S. Truman
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-John F. Kennedy
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Richard M. Nixon
-Gerald Ford
-Jimmy Carter
-Barack Obama
TR was economically liberal, but socially and FP wise no.
Taft, Ike, Ford and perhaps Truman were just practical, but not personally liberal in most aspects, throw in Nixon too (who had some liberal economic policies and created the EPA and stuff).
Obama is not liberal, except in an authoritarian sense and is to the right of Reagan practically.
Wilson was "paternal" and liked remaking things but yes very racist and extremely authoritarian, plus he was a WASP so def not liberal.
JFK was a silver spoon guy but he was socially liberal (the affairs and such).
LBJ and FDR were ideological partners pretty much, and I would consider them both the most true personal liberals, they both were not moral prudes (affairs, smoking, drinking, cursing pretty much with ease). Neither were notably racist for the era they were in and both tended to have an economic and social justice complex that was crafted because of their life experiences.
LBJ developed a lot of economic and social justice humility because he didn't grow up wealthy and all through his youth/young adult life he was around a lot of poor people from the other side of the tracks (he taught underprivileged Mexican immigrant school kids out of college, in a racist era even).
FDR basically got the same because when he got polo and went to recuperate in Warm Springs and such he was also around the "common people", people who were maybe not as personally wealthy as him, but were afflicted by the same ailment of polo that brought them all down.
Carter is what I would call a Christian Liberal, he mixes both his humble rural upbringing in Plains (again with the common people, both white and black just trying to make a living) with gospel based ideology on how to treat others and giving to the poor and helping the sick and that sort of thing. He obviously isn't a super big social liberal (conservative baptist after all) but economically and fp wise yes, he seems to show genuine concern for people hurting and in need and downtrodden.
