Great article, Phil, and the commentary was equally intriguing.
Republican's can't stand freedom or individuality, despite their lauding these values. They find diversity, dissent and disrespect equally distasteful. Facts and function only annoy them and make them dig in their heels and more strongly proclaim their values. They are not thinkers, but feelers.
I knew this.
You have just given a pretty fair definition of liberals. A few alterations, though:
Liberals believe in freedom of speech (provided you speak only what they want to hear)
Liberals believe in open expression, and are open to new ideas (provided said expression and ideas match their world view)
Liberals love to engage in the arena of ideas (provided said ideas line up with their own. If they do not, then the deliverer of said different ideas must be silenced at any cost)
Liberals are all for freedom and individuality (provided said freedom and individuality falls within preset guidelines)
Point is that there is room for critism on both sides.