How or when did the word liberal become such a nasty word?

When did the term liberal become such a bad taste in the mouth or some scourge of the Earth? I remember growing up liberals were seen as innovative, flexible open-minded people could be due to the fact it was the liberal 60s. Today if one wants to discredit another especially politically they try to brand that person as a liberal as if to say liberals are easy on criminals, want everyone to be dope addicts, and basically are just sinful. That is one of the reason I affiliate with no party because as I see it there are no real liberals or conservatives; it is just a hodgepodge in the middle and it comes down to which end you are closest too. There are good points in conservatism as there are liberalism, but I can’t see how liberals got such a bad wrap over conservatives?