Do you feel there's a difference between Liberalism and Leftism?

[bagelman]

When I hear the word liberal, I think of American liberals, while when I hear "leftist" I think of socialists, social democrats, and even commies from all around the world. However "classical liberal" or "neoliberal" refers to the old and more academic meaning of "liberal" which sides with non-establishment Republicans purely on economic issues.