Can someone explain this phrase to me?

[WillParkinson]

I was reading a columnist in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and the info on the author said he was part of a 'non-partisan conservative think tank'.

2 things caught my eye. If you claim to be a conservative are you not already considered partisan?

And wouldn't 'conservative think tank' be akin to 'jumbo shrimp', 'military intelligence' and 'deafening silence'?

[AlabamaLibrul]

1. "Non-partisan" is the latest buzzword for "We're not really Rs/Ds"... we just think like them

And a think tank is at its core a group designed to influence public policy, so "conservative think tank" would be correct.

Whether or not it's a fantastic idea to have non-profits (and lobbyists, donors, etc.) shaping public policy in a democratic society is a point for a different time and place.

[shraby]

2. Exactly, and a thumbs up for noticing.

[EstimatedProphet]

3. Explanation: they're lying

I'd bet they get funding from the Repub party, which makes them partisan. Probably it gets laundered through a front group like USA Next or Americans For Prosperity, which exist solely to funnel Repub party and corporate money in a circle through those groups and back into the party and corporate headquarters, at a profit.