But aren't we just as guilty of virtue signaling as they are?

Just look at this comment section and count the number of times people are condemning modern liberals because of what others were doing over 200 years ago.

And look at how heavily the Republican party has leaned on the "Party of Lincoln!" catch phrase. Yet they seem utterly oblivious to the fact that Lincoln established the first federal income tax (and taxing the wealthy at quite a higher rate than others), created the first large federal government departments (the Department of Agriculture I believe), and established government paid higher education (the Morris act, I think it was named.) Does any of that seem like something the Republican party would do and brag about today?).

The truth is that the Republican party of the past is not the Republican party of today. And the Democrat party of the past is not the Democrat party of today. It doesn't mean that the parties simply flipped sides. It's much more complicated than that.

The political parties evolve with the times. Social mores change. Culture changes. Priorities change.

So when anyone, liberal or conservative, tries to associate the parties of the past with the respective parties of now, it indicates a lack of knowledge and education of the matter.

I understand how obnoxious it is for liberals to virtue signal. But it's just as obnoxious for conservatives to do the same. I think the best course of action is not to say "Nuh-uh, you are!!" but to point out that people alive today are not responsible for the actions of people in the past.