Marshall
Member
As defined by Pat Buchanan? ROFL
OK, we have a term, someone made up, probably Irving Kristol, "The God Father of Neoconsrvativism.
As decribed by The Godfather himself, Neocons have three basic pillars that define them, they are as follows:
1. Economics: "One of these policies, most visible and controversial, is cutting tax rates in order to stimulate steady economic growth... It is a basic assumption of neoconservatism that, as a consequence of the spread of affluence among all classes, a property-owning and tax-paying population will, in time, become less vulnerable to egalitarian illusions and demagogic appeals and more sensible about the fundamentals of economic reckoning."
2. Domestic Affairs: "Neocons do not like the concentration of services in the welfare state and are happy to study alternative ways of delivering these services. But they are impatient with the Hayekian notion that we are on "the road to serfdom." Neocons do not feel that kind of alarm or anxiety about the growth of the state in the past century, seeing it as natural, indeed inevitable... Neocons feel at home in today's America to a degree that more traditional conservatives do not. Though they find much to be critical about, they tend to seek intellectual guidance in the democratic wisdom of Tocqueville, rather than in the Tory nostalgia of, say, Russell Kirk.
But it is only to a degree that neocons are comfortable in modern America. The steady decline in our democratic culture, sinking to new levels of vulgarity, does unite neocons with traditional conservatives--though not with those libertarian conservatives who are conservative in economics but unmindful of the culture. The upshot is a quite unexpected alliance between neocons, who include a fair proportion of secular intellectuals, and religious traditionalists. They are united on issues concerning the quality of education, the relations of church and state, the regulation of pornography, and the like, all of which they regard as proper candidates for the government's attention. And since the Republican party now has a substantial base among people who consider themselves to be" religious", this gives neocons a certain influence and even power. Because religious conservatism is so feeble in Europe, the neoconservative potential there is correspondingly weak."
3. Foreign Policy: "First, patriotism is a natural and healthy sentiment and should be encouraged by both private and public institutions. Precisely because we are a nation of immigrants, this is a powerful American sentiment. Second, world government is a terrible idea since it can lead to world tyranny. International institutions that point to an ultimate world government should be regarded with the deepest suspicion. Third, statesmen should, above all, have the ability to distinguish friends from enemies...
Finally, for a great power, the "national interest" is not a geographical term, except for fairly prosaic matters like trade and environmental regulation. A smaller nation might appropriately feel that its national interest begins and ends at its borders, so that its foreign policy is almost always in a defensive mode. A larger nation has more extensive interests. And large nations, whose identity is ideological, like the Soviet Union of yesteryear and the United States of today, inevitably have ideological interests in addition to more material concerns."
Today, the term has evolved and means many different things to many different people. Some dismiss the term as an antisemitic term used for the purposes of labeling Jews in a negative light.
Others say, today "neo-conservatism" identifies those who believe in an aggressive policy against radical Islam and the global terrorists.
Others have similarly likened descriptions of neo-conservatism to a conspiracy theory.
Other critics have similarly argued the term has been rendered meaningless through excessive and inconsistent use.
Other traditional conservatives are likewise skeptical of the contemporary usage of the term, and may dislike being associated with the stereotypes, or even the supposed agendas of neoconservatism. Conservative columnist David Harsanyi wrote, "These days, it seems that even temperate support for military action against dictators and terrorists qualifies you a neocon."[16]
Seems to me the term means many things. I might be part neo-con, might not be. I might be an old fashioned conservative but shoot, I might be part Libertarian. I might be part everything..............except Democrat.
Anyway, now that we don't really know what a "Neo-Con is today, I'll be interested in watching how it's used and to whom it's applied.
OK, we have a term, someone made up, probably Irving Kristol, "The God Father of Neoconsrvativism.
As decribed by The Godfather himself, Neocons have three basic pillars that define them, they are as follows:
1. Economics: "One of these policies, most visible and controversial, is cutting tax rates in order to stimulate steady economic growth... It is a basic assumption of neoconservatism that, as a consequence of the spread of affluence among all classes, a property-owning and tax-paying population will, in time, become less vulnerable to egalitarian illusions and demagogic appeals and more sensible about the fundamentals of economic reckoning."
2. Domestic Affairs: "Neocons do not like the concentration of services in the welfare state and are happy to study alternative ways of delivering these services. But they are impatient with the Hayekian notion that we are on "the road to serfdom." Neocons do not feel that kind of alarm or anxiety about the growth of the state in the past century, seeing it as natural, indeed inevitable... Neocons feel at home in today's America to a degree that more traditional conservatives do not. Though they find much to be critical about, they tend to seek intellectual guidance in the democratic wisdom of Tocqueville, rather than in the Tory nostalgia of, say, Russell Kirk.
But it is only to a degree that neocons are comfortable in modern America. The steady decline in our democratic culture, sinking to new levels of vulgarity, does unite neocons with traditional conservatives--though not with those libertarian conservatives who are conservative in economics but unmindful of the culture. The upshot is a quite unexpected alliance between neocons, who include a fair proportion of secular intellectuals, and religious traditionalists. They are united on issues concerning the quality of education, the relations of church and state, the regulation of pornography, and the like, all of which they regard as proper candidates for the government's attention. And since the Republican party now has a substantial base among people who consider themselves to be" religious", this gives neocons a certain influence and even power. Because religious conservatism is so feeble in Europe, the neoconservative potential there is correspondingly weak."
3. Foreign Policy: "First, patriotism is a natural and healthy sentiment and should be encouraged by both private and public institutions. Precisely because we are a nation of immigrants, this is a powerful American sentiment. Second, world government is a terrible idea since it can lead to world tyranny. International institutions that point to an ultimate world government should be regarded with the deepest suspicion. Third, statesmen should, above all, have the ability to distinguish friends from enemies...
Finally, for a great power, the "national interest" is not a geographical term, except for fairly prosaic matters like trade and environmental regulation. A smaller nation might appropriately feel that its national interest begins and ends at its borders, so that its foreign policy is almost always in a defensive mode. A larger nation has more extensive interests. And large nations, whose identity is ideological, like the Soviet Union of yesteryear and the United States of today, inevitably have ideological interests in addition to more material concerns."
Today, the term has evolved and means many different things to many different people. Some dismiss the term as an antisemitic term used for the purposes of labeling Jews in a negative light.
Others say, today "neo-conservatism" identifies those who believe in an aggressive policy against radical Islam and the global terrorists.
Others have similarly likened descriptions of neo-conservatism to a conspiracy theory.
Other critics have similarly argued the term has been rendered meaningless through excessive and inconsistent use.
Other traditional conservatives are likewise skeptical of the contemporary usage of the term, and may dislike being associated with the stereotypes, or even the supposed agendas of neoconservatism. Conservative columnist David Harsanyi wrote, "These days, it seems that even temperate support for military action against dictators and terrorists qualifies you a neocon."[16]
Seems to me the term means many things. I might be part neo-con, might not be. I might be an old fashioned conservative but shoot, I might be part Libertarian. I might be part everything..............except Democrat.
Anyway, now that we don't really know what a "Neo-Con is today, I'll be interested in watching how it's used and to whom it's applied.
