Can I start a new movement Neo-Libertarianism?

Question

They will be progressive but much more conservative than most democrats...whom value hard work then idealism....I want to be a democrat...but I hate liberals...can this work? Republicans have gotten to christian and non-reflective with the Bush administration... What exactly is a Neo-conservative? and can you name a few?

Answer 1

I'm not sure what part of the country you are in, but I suspect there are many democrats in the South and in the Interior Western US who lean in the political direction you have identified.

I'd ditch the whole Libertarian association though. They are nothing but pawns of extractive industries. They had their chance to prove their integrity under the Bush administration and blew it.

Answer 2

Considered as a group, the neocons have a fairly concrete identity -- they are intensely hawkish Democrats (or the offspring of intensely hawkish Democrats) who bolted the party in the late '60s/early '70s after it turned against the Vietnam War. They tend to be Jewish, urban and intellectual. Many of them worked for Scoop Jackson (the hawkish Democratic Senator from Washington State.) Some of them started out on the far left fringe of American politics (Trotskyists, etc.) then moved right and kept going. Some are admirers of the late University of Chicago professor and philospher Leo Strauss.

These are all generalizations, but there are enough people who fit enough of the points to make the profile valid.

Ideologically, though, neocon is a much more nebulous term. It's not like there's some kind of neocon Politburo that lays down a rigid party line on any and all points -- although the Project for a New American Century probably comes closest to filling that function.

It's easy enough to point to some common themes that are generally identified with the neocons: contempt for international organizations and the concept of multilateralism; impatience with traditional balance-of-power diplomacy; a cultish devotion to the use of military power; an outspoken belief in the superiority of Western culture and political institutions; a messianic vision of America's mission to "civilize" the world, which at times (Max Boot) makes them sound like caricatures of old-fashioned European imperialists. And of course: an intense identification with the state of Israel, and a willingness, even eagerness, to use American power to protect and further Israeli security interests.

But there are nuances on all these points. Some neocons support the maximum Likud position -- one state (Jewish) between the Jordan and the sea. Some don't. Some are more willing to use multilateral institutions to pursue American interests. Some aren't. Some are more cynical about the "spreading democracy" meme than others.

Personally, I would not describe Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld as neocons. Certainly not on the first count (personal biography). And not on the second (ideological affinity), either. At the end of the day, Cheney and Rumsfeld are politicians and bureaucrats. They are not intellectuals -- not by a long shot. They are consumers of ideology, not producers.

To me, the neocons and the realists are rival schools of foreign policy intellectuals, competing for the patronage of political leaders such as Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Delay, etc. With a few exceptions, they are servants of power -- not holders of power.

Since most American politicians (like most American voters) know very little about the rest of the world, they usually don't have detailed positions on the kinds of foreign policy issues the neocons and the realists spend their professional lives debating. Instead, politicians have belief systems, typically reflecting some fairly basic value judgments: America must always be the strongest nation on earth, or America should try to cooperate with its allies, or whatever.

Answer 3

There is a new libertarian political party, the Boston Tea Party. They oppose taxation, as you might imagine.

Democrats are more conservative than you have been told. For example, when have you heard a Democrat advocate a return to the pre-Clinton welfare system? Anyway, you might also want to check their platform, you will be surprised at how conservative it is.

Answer 4

Sure you can. You have a good analysis of the problem and some possible solutions yet you have to further debate it and get people convinced. There are lots of people out there who are just thinking like you and want to get organized towards a common goal. It takes a lot for a dream to come true and some of the essentials are time, effort and patience. Good luck!

Answer 5

The fact is - America was founded on classic liberal ideas. But this party sounds great, and they would probably get my vote over Democrats as long as they are socially liberal and economicly liberal (which is considered a conservative point of view)...

Answer 6

sure,, you may get 100 members