Reason #2 is part of it. I like the constant practice in refining my thoughts.
The other reason is to keep diving into the inner workings of the liberal mindset. Why do liberals think the way they do? That has always been a constant fascination for me.
I actually agree with many liberal concepts (equality, fairness, etc) but my practical side thinks it only works at the small scale: the family unit, the extended family unit, or a small community (Dunbar number). Anything beyond that is ripe for abuse and corruption which negates the sweeping fairness we were trying to engineer in the first place. In other words, we must have a natural inherent affinity for our fellow man (our neighbors) which makes it easy to overlay a formalized set of laws for fairness. Trying to do it in the opposite direction – retrofitting egalitarian policies on top of disparate tribal groups in America just promotes bickering and the only winners are the politicians and the people who bribe them.