Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Reagan Man
I disagree with you on that point.

Geez. You aren't disagreeing with me, you're disagreeing with the encyclopedia. That was a direct quote.

BTW, I think the encyclopedia out-ranks a dictionary.
Dictionaries give definition to words, they don't give in-depth information on entire topics.
Even after pasting 3 large paragraphs from the encyclopedia right into the thread, it is apparent that you still haven't read it.

Neo means new or recent. The modern political meaning for liberalism is quite clear. Big taxes, big spending, big government and social liberalism running wild.

The irony of neo-liberalism is that it is in fact actually classical liberalism. "Neo" was added as to distinguish it from modern New Deal type liberalism. You are confusing "neo-liberalism" with the over-loaded term "liberal".

[Excerpted from Wikipedia, one more time]
Because of close association between this philosophy and neoclassical economics, and confusion with the overloaded term "liberal", the term neoclassical philosophy is advocated by some.

The term neoliberalism does not mean a new version of the "liberalism" of the modern period -- that is John Dewey, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt or the Liberal Party of Great Britain, but of classical "liberalism" as it was understood in the 19th century

[End excerpt]

The original meaning for classic liberal of the 18th&19th centuries, is pretty much dead in the contemporary world. It is not part of the American lexicon either.

Really..?
See above.

It is far from dead. It is now known as "neo-liberalism" and is advocated in the supply-side, free market policies of the right-wing. All of this is in the encyclopedia text I posted already. I don't understand why we have to keep going over this.
284 posted on 06/20/2004 12:16:10 AM PDT by counterpunch (The CouNTeRPuNcH Collection - www.freepgs.com/counterpunch)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 281 | View Replies ]


To: counterpunch
After you lost the original argument, trying to spin Reagan into Schwarzenegger and Schwarzenegger into Reagan, you obfuscated the debate by offering up a little used term called neoliberalism. I then based some of my remarks on a dictionary definition and not a full encyclopedic explanation. The information contained in the Wikipedia link calls neoliberalism a modern day version of "classic liberalism" and does make a connection with Reagan and Thatcher on economic policy aspects. Fine.

If you want to connect the dots of classic liberalism, neoliberalism and what you call "Reaganism", thats your right. I don't buy into that correlation. It tends to confuse the debate in relation to Reagan's overall political message. It's fair to say, Reagan advanced a conservative economic policy agenda. I like that statement just fine. If you find the use of the term neoliberalism helpful, use it to your hearts content.

One more thing. This neoliberlism sounds a lot like libertarianism. Frankly, you sound like a libertarian. Maybe you're a member of the RLC? While many libertarians support fiscal responsibility and limited govt, other libertarians would like little or no govt at all. The overall thrust of the libertarian agenda is viewed by traditional conservatives like myself, as lacking a moral compass. Libertarianism also opposes the social and cultural conservatism preached by Ronald Reagan.

293 posted on 06/20/2004 11:42:38 AM PDT by Reagan Man (THE CHOICE IS CLEAR..........RE-ELECT BUSH-CHENEY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 284 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson