Posted on 04/26/2002 12:36:50 PM PDT by ForOurFuture
I hear the term used more and more, but am not sure what exactly differentiates Neo-Cons from ordinary Conservatives. The one difference I've gleaned is in foreign policy: more agressive, warhawkish. Anybody?
THANK YOU! Standing-O!
Stupid people now equate Neo with Nazi or even something worse than Nazi. (Neo >= Nazi)
Now to complete the two staged propaganda ploy, Neo is added to Conservative. (ever hear the left mention NeoLiberals?)
Those same stupid people now make the following logical association:
Neo = Nazi
Neo = Conservative
Conservative = Nazi
It's that simple.
Frank S. Meyer (1909–1972)
"Unless men are free to be vicious, they cannot be virtuous."With this simple statement from his 1962 book, In Defense of Freedom: A Conservative Credo, Frank S. Meyer defined the goal of postwar conservatism: to create a society in which men are free to pursue virtue but not enforce virtue at the point of a gun.
After World War II, when collectivism seemed triumphant, individuals who opposed the welfare state for different reasons banded together in order to fight it. Yet the tension between the traditionalists and libertarians threatened to tear the conservative movement apart. Meyer showed the groups what they had in common by pointing out where they were each mistaken.
To the libertarians he said: You are right; freedom is the only political end. But that does not mean it is the only end. Without using force, intellectuals must persuade people of the virtuous path and must not be afraid to make moral judgments. After all, freedom itself is based on the moral principle that men are endowed with inalienable rights by their creator.
And to the traditionalists he said: You are right when you say that a large leviathan state corrupts individuals by taking over functions of society, but you cannot destroy leviathan by proposing a group of mini-leviathans called communities. A community is nothing more than a group of individuals who voluntarily come together to achieve a common purpose. However, a community cannot force a man to be virtuous. In order for a man to achieve virtue, he must make a choice between good and evil, and the government should not interfere between man and his Maker.
With his philosophy, Meyer showed that enforcing Christian virtues by the state is anti-Christian. Unlike the Greek pagan philosophy, Judaism and Christianity teach that human beings are not parts of an organic whole but autonomous individuals free to pursue their destinies and accountable for their actions. Meyer is his own best example of free will. After being an active member of the Communist party, Meyer recognized his error and did everything he could to destroy the evil philosophy he once helped promote. He became a founding editor of National Review, and converted to Catholicism as he was dying of cancer in 1972. The fall of the Iron Curtain, the pope's embrace of capitalism, and the progress of the conservative movement in America are just some of the vindications of Meyer's efforts.
The Neocons are an Eastern urban affair, Paleocons rural and western and mid-western. Neos admire FDR, Paleos don't. Paleos are more interested in ordered liberty and Neos in gaining power. To me Paleos are the remnant of the old Americans, those people that if Davy Crockett were alive he would recognize as countrymen.
Pretty much every prominent Republican since Eisenhower and Nixon is a neo-conservative. Ron Paul is about the only paleo-conservative left in the Republican party.
The term "neo-conservative" has shifted over the past few decades. It once referred to people such as William F. Buckley, Irving Kristol and other thinkers who redefined conservatism. Goldberg states, "these are the people you think of when you hear the word 'conservative.'"
These days, "neo-conservative" is more amorphous and means different things to different people. Usually it is associated with William Kristol, David Brooks and other "National Greatness" conservatives. It's a term that liberals use to label the Republicans that they can actually agree with at times. The NY Times editorial page would never support a "conservative" idea, so they rechristen it "neo-conservative."
Paleoconservatives are a nearly extinct breed; again, to quote Goldberg:
"These are the guys who have very interesting arguments about why Lincoln was a tyrant; believe that citizens should consider themselves Kentuckians or Texans first and Americans second; and revere people like Charles Lindbergh and Robert Taft... Pat Buchanan is the only nationally recognized champion of paleoconservatism."
So, it all depends on how the person using the word "neo-con" defines it. Rather Clintonian, no?
A negative term that neo-liberals ie:libertarians, use to describe the conservatives who disagree with them.
Perhaps the most common these says is describing the fiscally conservative but socially liberal wing of the GOP.
I'll offer up my definition of neoconservatism and paleoconservatism (with my tongue only slightly touching my cheek) and let the arguements begin.
Paleoconservatism.
As you can see, I see the differences between paleoconservatism as primarly religious in nature, but then again, I may be wrong. Pro-capitalism, but not necessarily free trade.
Favors lower taxes.
Pro-life on Judeo/Christian grounds.
Favors traditional Christian morality: Patriarchal family structure, prayer in schools, ten commandments in schools, anti-homosexual, virginal until marriage, usually against divorce,anti-pornography, supports blue laws, is against non-christian religious and secular influences in schools, is offended by orange hair, tattoos on women, and earings on men.
Neoconservative
Pro-capitalism and favors free trade.
Favors lower taxes.
May or may not be pro-life, but is unlikely to be pro-life on solely religious grounds.
Believes morality is matter of conscience: Against prayer in school, tolerant of homosexuals, unlikely to place much importance on virginity, has no problem with Playboy or Penthouse, proponent of no fault divorce, against blue laws, doesn't care who has orange hair, body peircings or tattoos.
Yes! And who wants to define what "Conservative" positions should now be.
I pretty much agree with that. I think a good "litmus test" is wheather they support FDR's version of the Commerce Clause.
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