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May 18, 2003
I see that Tim Blair is having a bit of fun at my expense. (See Saturday 17 May, 6.38PM) He quotes this text from National Review Online about the use and abuse of the term "neoconservative" by liberals by one no less that Jonah Goldeberg himself. Tim quotes this:
"In fact, neoconservative has become a Trojan Horse for a vast arsenal of ideological attacks and insinuations. For some it means Jewish conservative. For others it means hawk. A few still think it means squishy conservative or ex-liberal. And a few don't even know what the word means, they just think it makes them sound knowledgeable when they use it."
And public opinion is fingered by Tim as being the local example of being someone who don't even know what the word means and who just thinks it makes them sound knowledgeable when they use it. No particular web entry is mentioned so it must be all of them.
I do use the term neo-con a lot on this weblog because there is such a political beast. And just to set the record straight, see this text.
At public opinion neo-con means two things. It means
".....former liberals (which explains the "neo" prefix) who advocate an aggressive unilateralist vision of U.S. global supremacy, which includes a close strategic alliance with Israel." There is a bit more on the foreign policy side of things here and here
The historical background to US neconservatism can be found here. This book gives a deeper levelled and historical meaning to neo-con.
So neo-con also means favoring the self-organizing market and minimal state; support a minimal welfare as safety net, the rule of traditional elites, and the return to traditional cultural values. In short they are a mixture of libertarian and conservative.
I reckon that should do for starters.
Oh, by the way, Tim Blair is an Australian neocon. So is Christopher Pearson.
And John Quiggin is a social democrat.
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I'd say the neocons are getting a little nervous that too much information about their history, makeup and m.o. is being disseminated to the masses. As they prefer to masquerade as nonchalant outsiders rather than the fanatical and impassioned partisans operating from smack in the middle of a massive power base, they hope to throw up a little smoke to obscure the facts. Not that they need worry in reality. With the backing of Murdoch's market penetration they're pretty secure from any real exposure. (The alternet link was the type of thing I've been after for ages - thanks.)