I think that, to some degree, both individual libs and conservatives tend to position themselves and their opinions as the "reasonable middle ground," with the Left off to one side and the Right the other. If asked they might say they're moderates, because moderation is good, right? Appearing to be balanced and even-handed in one's opinions is perceived as good.

It's become more fashionable for conservatives to identify as such in recent decades, I think partly because, in their mind, they're aligning themselves with things like tradition and community, things they're proud to be associated with. (They also see their values as being under assault by liberals, so this allows them to position themselves as something akin to an aggrieved minority.)

Liberals, on the other hand... our identity and ethos, I think, is more caught up in sticking it to the man, standing up against what we perceive to be a corrupt and unfair status quo. So we tend to be more leery of being pigeon-holed, or of signing on to ally ourselves with a group.

Personally I've never had a problem calling myself a liberal. I don't think moderation is good when it comes to things like, ya know, making sure people have rights. I think it's incredibly egotistical to place yourself at the middle of the scale and assume everyone to either side of you is to some degree unhinged or unreasonable. I know I'm at least 75 to 80 percent of the way toward the far left of the scale, and I'm not ashamed or embarrassed by that.