What is a neoconservative? Neocons and liberals are two sides of the same coin
Occasionally when I participate in political message boards, someone (certainly a liberal) will respond to my post by calling me a neoconservative. That is truly offensive to me because I am so far from that philosophy, but more importantly it shows how incredibly ill-informed some people are when they want to call you names.
The ideas of neoconservatism originated in the ’50s, but really took hold in the ’60s with “Godfathers” Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz, fathers of Bill Kristol and John Podhoretz respectively.
Originated from the left, neoconservatives were disillusioned with the anti-war movement of the ’60s which they found un-American. Unlike libertarians and paleo conservatives, these former Trotsky-ites generally support military interventionism to bring about change in other countries whether it be in the name of democracy or human rights.
Also unlike the above named constitutionalists, they generally have no problem with excess spending to support a welfare state and other unconstitutional domestic policy.
For a liberal to call me a neocon because I don’t support some domestic policy agenda of the current administration or Congress is so factually off-base. They should look in the mirror; neocons and liberals are basically two sides of the same coin.
It’s easy for a liberal to be anti-war when their enemy is in the White House, so let’s see where Code Pink, Cindy Sheehan and other anti-war protesters go while the Democrats are in Washington.
Unlike the warmongers of the militant machine, I oppose the intrusive wars of the past and will stand for a just Declaration of War when, and only when, the need actually arises.
So save your inane neocon labels for those who deserve it, but be warned that some may be from your favorite party.
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