Sounds typical of the right wing trying to rewrite history. On Fri, Oct 22, 2010 at 12:28 PM, Scott Stewart <[email protected]> wrote: > > So basically, in an attempt to sway independent minded centrists, > conservatives repaint neo-cons as centrists... > uhmmm.. no Sam, the center doesn't agree. > > http://www.modernwhig.org/issues.html > > The Modern Whig Party is centrist in belief and policy... there is > very little in common with the neo-cons. > > On Fri, Oct 22, 2010 at 9:33 AM, Sam <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Neo-conservatives: The True Centrists >> http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/10/neoconservatives_the_true_cent.html >> >> The large majority of the neo-conservative movement has always been >> reluctant to self-identify as such. From neo-conservative founding >> father Nathan Glazer's "indifference" to the label to leader of the >> younger generation Max Boot's ambivalent admission that the term is >> "not entirely worthless," attempting to find a reputed >> neo-conservative who would self-identify as one has been an elusive >> quest. Indeed, the very thought of spending a significant amount of >> time self-identifying at all is (rightfully) disdained by those of the >> neo-conservative persuasion as pretentious navel-gazing [1]. >> >> No matter the reluctance of neo-conservatives to engage in this type >> of egotism, the fact remains that there does exist a movement of >> intellectuals who share similar commitments to a strong national >> defense and a recoupling of politics with traditional morality. And, >> for better or for worse, the world knows this movement as >> neo-conservatism. >> >> But what the world generally fails to recognize is that this >> philosophy has made the neo-conservatives, the only real moderates in >> American politics and political philosophy, the eternal purveyors of >> centrist common sense. >> >> Admittedly, anyone paying attention to the mainstream media for at >> least the past decade will be aghast at this contention. By now, it is >> considered common knowledge that the first neo-conservatives were >> self-imposed exiles from the left wing reconciled to -- if not >> completely avid supporters of -- New-Deal social welfare programs. >> This is standard and uncontroversial historical fact. >> >> But according to both the contemporary left and the newly emergent >> right, it is also considered ancient history. "Liberal" blogger M.J. >> Rosenberg wrote that the neo-conservatives "have evolved into >> right-wingers on everything." Similarly, since his coming "up from >> [neo-]conservatism," Michael Lind has written articles in which he >> argues with bombast that the "paleo-liberalism" of the original >> neo-conservatives has evolved into a "militaristic and imperial right >> with no precedents in American culture or political history ... >> mingled with the far-right Likud strain of Zionism." Whew. >> >> Similarly, from the paleo-conservative and libertarian right, one can >> find statements like Thomas E. Woods' that neo-conservatism is "merely >> a variety of leftism," and that articles by prominent >> neo-conservatives are identical to those one would find published by >> the liberal New York Times. Other stalwarts like Pat Buchanan and Ron >> Paul always make it a point to mention that some of the original >> neo-conservatives were >> socialists-so-watch-out-because-they-are-still-part-of-an-evil-communist-takeover-of-America. >> Cue scary music. >> >> And of course, the farther to the right or left the conspiracy >> theorists shift, the more they agree on the tired old canard that all >> of the neo-conservatives' philosophical ideas, policy points, and >> political influence is aimed at one thing and one thing only: >> protecting Israel and oppressing Palestinians at the expense of >> American interests. >> >> In 2003, responding to articles by prominent neo-conservatives, >> including one in Commentary, one author wrote that the >> neoconservatives "harbor a passionate attachment to a nation not their >> own, that causes them to subordinate the interests of their own >> country." More recently, responding to another article by a prominent >> neo-conservative in Commentary, another author wrote, "As for the >> evidence of dual loyalty, there's been plenty of evidence of that from >> the Commentary crowd in recent months. In sum, there are more than a >> few Jewish neoconservatives ... who seem to be putting their extreme >> and questionable version of Israel's national security, above that of >> the United States." The first quote was by The American conservative >> founder Pat Buchanan. The second was by left-wing Time columnist Joe >> Klein. Had attribution of the quotes been switched between the >> authors, would anyone have been able to tell? >> >> But what kind of "anti-Americanism" do the neo-conservatives allegedly >> promote? Are those affiliated with the neo-conservative movement >> far-right imperialistic militarists or far-left Trotskyite >> interlopers? The answer, of course, is neither. It is an unfortunate >> reality that while most neo-conservatives are aware of the ideological >> shifts that have taken place in the United States throughout history, >> their critics are most assuredly not. Since the days when the founders >> of The Public Interest and Commentary first used their publications to >> work out the neo-conservative ideology, the neo-conservatives' views >> have tracked moderate American sensibilities and common sense. >> >> For instance, the anticommunism of the neo-conservatives was the exact >> anticommunism of the American population throughout the Cold War. >> Between 1948 and the end of the Cold War, eight of the eleven >> presidential elections saw the election or reelection of aggressively >> anti-communist presidents. Seven of these elections resulted in >> presidents who used military or paramilitary force to contain and roll >> back communist regimes throughout the world. >> >> Although the neo-conservatives' anticommunism was staunch and >> uncompromising, this mainstream sentiment was never allowed to >> degenerate into conspiracy theories or authoritarian impulses. Irving >> Kristol was one of the first from the right to emphatically denounce >> Senator Joseph McCarthy as a "vulgar demagogue." While Senator >> McCarthy and the John Birch Society supported "counter-subversive >> anti-communism," neo-conservative founder Norman Podhoretz argued for >> "responsible anti-communism." The former focused on uncovering >> domestic communist conspiracies and traitors, some of whom were >> figments of these crusaders' imaginations, while the latter promoted >> the fight against communism-in-general while refraining from >> witch-hunts and accusations of treason against political enemies. >> >> The same pattern of responsible, moderate ideology can be seen in the >> neo-conservatism of today. The far left advocates an immediate end to >> all American wars, regardless of the military and political realities >> or the consequences for innocent civilians. The left is even more >> extreme in its support for American acceptance of the authority of the >> United Nations over U.S. decisions to engage in military actions. The >> neo-conservatives, on the other hand, encourage a policy of continuing >> the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as long as is necessary to stabilize >> these regions in order to protect the lives of innocent human beings. >> And as opposed to completely submitting to the authority of the United >> Nations, neo-conservatives recognize that some decisions are too >> important to be in the hands of the United Nations. >> >> At the same time, far-right theorists advocate slashing the military >> budget, removing most or all of our military bases throughout the >> world, and removing ourselves completely from international >> organizations. Neo-conservatives recognize that military spending is >> only 4% of the U.S.'s GDP, which is bordering on the lowest in >> history. They argue that having military bases worldwide ensures that >> the United States can respond instantaneously to any situation >> anywhere on the planet that could potentially harm Americans. And it >> goes without saying that neo-conservatives are dedicated to >> international cooperation with the numerous multilateral treaty >> organizations and U.N. organizations which have proved to be both fair >> and honest. >> >> Domestic policy provides an even starker picture. For example, the >> modern left supports national universal health care, repeal of Don't >> Ask, Don't Tell, and more government regulation of the market and the >> Federal Reserve. Alternatively, the ascendant old right supports a >> repeal of national universal health care and the drastic reduction or >> elimination of Medicare and Medicaid, a morals-based continuation of >> Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and near-complete deregulation of the market >> including the eventual abolition of the Federal Reserve. >> >> Neo-conservatives manage to take a stance somewhere in between these >> two extreme views. Neo-conservatives generally support the repeal of >> universal health care but the continuation of reformed versions of >> Medicare and Medicaid, a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy based on the >> military's assessment of the policy's impact on national security, and >> gradually decreased and reformed government regulation of the market >> and money supply. >> >> Thus, between the far left and far right views that are increasingly >> being mainstreamed by large segments of the political spectrum, >> neo-conservatives inhabit the same commonsense political worldview as >> they always have since the 1960s. Journalists are quick to point out >> that there are only "a few hundred" neo-conservatives, but that their >> influence on American policy greatly exceeds their numbers. The >> hostile left and right wings have attributed this influence to the >> Machiavellian machinations of the neo-conservatives, who are somehow >> always crouched, waiting in the darkness for the proper moment to >> seize power for their own nefarious ends. >> >> Not only is this Manchurian Candidate scenario silly, but it flies in >> the face of Occam's centuries-old razor by ignoring the most likely >> explanation for neo-conservatives' influence: The American people >> listen to neoconservatives because their ideas are sensible. They are >> moderate yet consistent, grounded yet flexible, traditional yet >> creative. >> >> Neo-conservatism is the very last bastion -- the final defender -- of >> that uniquely American quality beloved by people of all political and >> philosophical stripes: common sense. >> >> > >
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