I propose that Neo-Cons NEVER GET CALLED NEO_LIBERALS

[applegrove]

on this site and in the progressive movement. I am from Canada and we love the word Liberal.

In fact every nation in the West is a Liberal Democracy.

Liberal is a word for the Democrats. Liberal is a great word. Neocons debased the word in the 1980s. It is up to us to take back the word.

Never, ever call a neocon a neo-liberal. Do not let them rebrand and take over the word liberal.

Liberalism is the enlightenment. Liberalism is good information, international trade, democracy, mixed market economies (that all Western nations have even the US still).

[hippiepunk]

1. Who ever called em'

Neo-Liberals? What the hell is a neo-liberal?

[PeaceProgProsp]

2. People who want free (liberated) trade.

[hippiepunk]

3. So, like Clinton?

[PeaceProgProsp]

4. I've read here at DU that Clinton didn't have a problem with Chavez.

And he also prefered Aristide in Haiti over the neoliberals who've been reinstalled there. He also wasn't willing to invade Iraq.

So, like all things, there are degrees...n

[hippiepunk]

5. I like Clinton

I wasn't insulting him.

[PeaceProgProsp]

6. When I say they want trade "liberated" I mean:

- they want trade to be the foremost, the guiding principle of politics and society. They want all other considerations secondary to profits for multinational corporations.

[hippiepunk]

7. Well then

they aren't liberals at all.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[applegrove]

12. They destroyed the word liberal for us - now they don't want to be

called neo-cons? Which leaves us with neo-liberals (which is what the textbooks call them). No way!

I'm Canadian alright and I am for trade and not for Empires or war - perpetual wars so you can have perpetual markets. Not smoking the hash either (none of which will be legalized.. they are just talking decriminalization of pot). I am a liberal and for norms like environmental ones and market regulation that favors the middle class and the masses. I am for multilateral ism. I am for arms reduction. Liberalism has not been tarnished in my country. Our liberals are just like Clinton and know that we cannot survive unless we participate in the world. Clinton is a million miles away from what the neocons have done to the USA.

I just do not want to see the bunch of liars dropping their name.
I will be calling them neocons forever.

You can consider it childish if you would like. I say it has much more to do with propaganda (theirs).

[applegrove]

11. No. Liberal means open. Clinton is for the Third Way which is about

trade but also about setting international standards for things like arms control, or health care, or regulating the environment.

Liberal is a great word.

[applegrove]

10. The textbooks call them neo-liberals. As soon as Israel is at peace

they could try and bolt from the republican party. They are called neoliberal because liberal is what all the Western Democracies are. We have mixed economies and such. We get to vote. These are all liberal things. Even the Repukes would be considered liberal in the past.

Liberal means you trade with outside countries and you are open to ideas.

[Lone Pawn]

9. They're both real words with real meanings.

Sorry. I'm not going to redefine language in such a worthless manner.

[applegrove]

13. The neocons are the ones redefining. They suddenly refuse to be

labeled as such. Sorry - I do not go for that.

[Lone Pawn]

14. I don't accept any sort of redefining. But they're not.

If a neocon who is talking about free trade wishes to be called neoliberal, then let him. Because that's what neoliberal means. And if a liberal who's talking about an aggressive foreign policy wants to be called neconservative, then let him. The two terms often go hand-in-hand.

The term 'neoliberal' has been in consistant use since the mid '70s. Nobody is 'redefining' the word here.