I had some mild 'debates' with distant relatives at Christmas. The main thing I noticed among my liberal family members was that they always go back on their education. They use their flimsy major(s) in college as proof that they are somehow experts. Additionally, they always bring up their white collar jobs as somehow proof of their superior intelligence.
They also like to elevate the newspapers they read as gospels of truth. They will outright dismiss any other source, without addressing the argument. Their explanations are often overwrought with big words, and could be said in half the time. I also notice they tend to speak condescendingly when they disagree: they'll say things like, 'you misunderstand' or 'you don't grasp' or 'you lack comprehension'...
They will go to great lengths to parse words rather than to address the substance. It's like I'm talking to a human Snopes...
Liberalism tends to be more of a status symbol than anything for white folks. Especially college educated white folks. Almost something like a possession they hold which identifies themselves to others as part of the “enlightened” or the upper tier of society. It used to be wealth, property, and title that distinguished themselves from the masses. Of course as is the case with capitalism, the masses could play that game too and accumulate their own wealth through their own work and ingenuity. Now that wealth and property are seen as less of a status symbol than they used to be, those that deem themselves to be the elites must cling to something else to distinguish themselves. In this case, it’s an ideology.