To: JohnGalt
As I suspected there is nothing behind the label. Your link clearly illustrates that the catagorizations could only be taken seriously by ignoring the real thought of those catagorized.
For example, no man ever believed more or did more to establish the Rule of Law than Hamilton yet that concern is placed in the camp of Wilson. Even Wilson did not share the beliefs of those he is lumped with and some of the terms used are anachronistic, what would cause one to believe Wilson was a believer in "multilateralism?" None who have studied his life would believe that Hamilton was not one of the biggest "idealists" to ever live. Nor would I believe Jefferson would be a fan of the ACLU or was a "liberal." Not even Jackson could claim to be a proponent of "Workers' Populism" AND a "conservative." This is one of the sillier catagorizations I have seen. The author confuses means and ends throughout by making these attributes mutually exclusionary. Thus, an "idealist" cannot be seen to use "realist" methods. Who can claim that Jefferson was not an idealist even though he was as hard-nosed and realistic a politician as ever existed? What could be more idealistic or romantic than a man who killed serveral men in duels like Jackson? Or who allowed his idealistic view to reject all realism to destroy the 2d National bank and the nation's economy like the realist Jackson?
Patrick Henry was another who talked a good game but did little to actually secure freedom for our nation. A minor league Jefferson in love with the sound of his own voice but with little substantial political thought behind it. Plus he was as hypocritical as TJ and as big a crook as any of them. His idea of good government was one which did not interfere with the schemes of other "republican" crooks and mountebanks. He seemed blissfully unaware of the close connection between economic wealth and liberty both on the personal and national level but he was not a deep thinker being satisfied with just having something sound good, whether it made any sense was not important. But he knew that just throwing out a few buzz words such as "liberty" was sufficient to get the votes of the ignorant and gullible. Some things never change.
181 posted on
01/09/2004 1:10:41 PM PST by
justshutupandtakeit
(America's Enemies foreign and domestic agree: Bush must be destroyed.)
To: justshutupandtakeit
It's just a label from an academic weenie I came across by on your fellow internationalist travelers on this site, but I will remove it from the lexicon.
I derived far more pleasure simply calling all the Global Democratic Revolutionaries either Trotskycons or Wilsonians, anyway.
184 posted on
01/09/2004 1:14:08 PM PST by
JohnGalt
(Neoconservatives: Appeasers to the Alien Invaders)
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