Dean Jellison - September 14, 2005
Neocons
It is becoming fashionable amongst some people on the left to call everyone to their right a ‘NeoCon’ but it is obvious that most of the people who use that term have no real idea what it means.
The term ‘Neo’ translates to ‘new’ and NeoCon is really an abbreviation for ‘New Conservative’. It originated with a change by some Democrat intellectuals who became disenchanted with their party and switched to the other party, thus becoming new conservatives. At this point, I need to reassure some of my Republican friends that ‘Democrat intellectuals’ is not an oxymoron. I think it is appropriate to coin a new label, NeoLib for those radical Democrats who drifted slightly toward the Center to fill the void created by the departure of the NeoCons.
So what are the characteristics of the NeoCons and the NeoLibs? As compared to the ‘Old Conservative’ maxim that the best government is the least government, a NeoCon favors aggressive government action to preserve traditional morality and to regulate the economy. NeoCons accept majority rule but work hard to convince the majority to follow their lead. They favor a foreign policy that recognizes and utilizes America’s leadership role in our world of nations.
On the other hand, a NeoLib believes that the primary role of government is to care for its weaker citizens. The NeoLib believes the governments, city, county, state and federal, are responsible to provide for the needs and wants of their residents. While professing a strong belief in Democracy, the NeoLibs will not accept a majority position as valid if it differs from their position and they will take every available action to thwart the effectiveness of such a majority position. The NeoLib truly believes that the voting public is uninformed and that he and his cohorts know far better what should be done in any given situation.
In practical politics, the NeoCon believes that the laws enacted by the elected representatives of the voters must be obeyed and their efforts to change or improve those laws are in accord with the procedure spelled out in our Constitution. The NeoLibs believe that their view of the world is paramount and that any law inconsistent with that view must to be changed or ignored. Civil disobedience is right and proper.
In a recent case, Carl Rove was accused of violating the law when he discussed the identity of a CIA agent with reporters. As the situation was explored, it became known that the federal law in question prohibited disclosure of the identity of a CIA covert agent who had been on assignment outside the country within the last five years. The agent and her husband had been married more than five years and, when he said she hadn’t been on an assignment since their marriage, that ended the matter for the NeoCons. The NeoLibs, believing that the statute should have been broader, ignored the provisions of the statute and continued to insist that Rove had violated the law and should be prosecuted or at least fired.
An even more interesting situation developed with the arrival of Hurricane Katrina. The Republicans have long been strong supporters of states rights and the Democrats have long argued that the Federal government ought to be supreme. As the Hurricane approached, the President declared the area to be a disaster area and asked the Governors of the affected states to request federal aid and assistance. Federal law clearly prohibits federal intervention without a request from a state. Alabama and Mississippi promptly complied but Louisiana did not. The Louisiana Governor apparently felt that such a request would be taken as a sign of weakness and used against her politically. It was only after the Hurricane had come and gone and New Orleans was awash with flood waters that she finally requested help. Only then could the feds and organizations like the Red Cross come in to help.
The NeoLibs immediately criticized the President for a ‘slow response’, ignoring the fact that he was prohibited by law from doing more. Many NeoLibs said he should have ignored the law and saved the people. Had he done so at the beginning of all this, the NeoLibs would have been screaming about an illegal invasion of Louisiana.
When you hear someone using the term NeoCon, ask what that term means. If the tone was complimentary, chances are the user knows what the word means. If the tone was derogatory, I’ll bet the user can’t come up with a definition.
I won’t get angry if you call me a NeoCon. I’ve never been a Democrat but I was pretty liberal when I was in college almost 60 years ago.
This is Dean Jellison. Thanks for listening.
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