Here’s a piece I wrote for Right Web on the Tea Party — neocon relationship. I see my TAC colleague Leon Hadar also appears on the site. Right Web is affiliated with the Institute for Policy Studies, a long time and influential left of center institution inside the Beltway. That’s a tale in itself: when I was a complete adult, age thirty-five or so, iI could no more imagine writing for IPS than becoming a rock and roll star. But political earthquakes have taken place: the collapse of the Soviet Union, the turn of the Republican Party away from realism, the dominance of the neoconservatives on the Right, the Iraq War. Odd as it is, IPS makes a lot more sense on the critical issues of our time than National Review. Ten years ago even, I couldn’t imagine thinking this for even a moment.
Neocons and Tea Partiers
16 Responses to Neocons and Tea Partiers
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1stRead says:
Good article. Very important to detail these relationships so that we can see where they are, how they operate and what they’re up to. I didn’t know about the neocon plants in O’Donnell’s campaign, for example.
Seeing that our republic is already so degraded as permit organizations like the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center to make a civic virtue out of spying on their fellow Americans, it might make sense to set up a regularly updated neocon / Israel Lobby tracking list. Might come in handy for law enforcement one day, too.
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Bill Kurtz says:
Great article. While the more libertarian Tea Partiers may be open to Ron Paul-type arguments about the budgetary burden of empire, I’m afraid most of the TP are either descendants of John Birchers (now seeking Muslims instead of Reds under the bed), or Jacksonians, who can be counted on to stoically back wars once we’re suckered into them.
The only ray of hope may be George W. Bush’s revelation that Mitch McConnell urged him in 2006 to get out of Iraq. Maybe Mitch could suggest the same to Obama now in Afghanistan. -
Thanks Scott. That’s a great summary of the Tea Party foreign policy, such that it is. The neocons smell blood (tea?) in the water and they are swarming.
Sounds like I share some of your journey as well. Reminds me of the first time I came across Antiwar.com (pre-Ron Paul): I couldn’t change the webpage fast enough. I was ignorant of the Old Right foreign policy tradition, and couldn’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to be invaded/liberated/occupied by my America. Thankfully, I’ve learned a lot since then.
Peace be with you.
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tbraton says:
Let me add my compliments for a well-written article.
The thing that has always puzzled me about the neocons is what they brought to the Reagan coalition. The neocons, who were largely Jewish, had already abandoned their spiritual home, the Democratic Party and had nowhere else to go. Since they represented a minority of the population (2%) that continued to vote overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, they brought little to no electoral votes, in contrast to the Christian Conservatives, who brought quite a few states in the South and border regions. The neocons did not agree with the Reagan domestic policy, and many neocon leaders eventually criticized Reagan for his tepid foreign policy. The neocons have done great damage to the country and to the Republican Party. So count me as puzzled about what they have added.
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tbraton,
I’ll give it a shot (and I say this as someone who’d be happy to sit and throw darts at pictures of William Kristol.) Neocons bring a great deal of eloquence, a very powerful narrative, and now they get to broadcast it via 24/7 via GOPTV (aka Fox News.)
They take inherent pride and patriotism and they square it by saying, “if it’s good for us, it’ll be great for everyone else in the world, too!”
They play on some people’s guilt by saying “how can you keep all this liberty and prosperity to yourself? You need to ‘share’ it with the rest of the world?” This kind of ‘charity’ makes a lot of sense to most people who call themselves ‘conservative.’
Their rhetoric manages to combine “We’re the most powerful nation in the history of the world!” with “We’re afraid of people in caves imposing Sharia law on a nation with 2% Muslim population!”…and people buy it! That takes some very impressive salesmanship.
They’ve taken FDR’s famous line and inverted it: “We have nothing to fear…but everything.”
And of course, they’ll always have Munich. With the exception of Chris Matthews’ well-known on air challenge* to a radio host trying to use the ‘appeaser’ label, far too many well meaning folks seem to buy into the “____________ is the next Hitler” routine.
In short, they’ve convinced a lot of people the same thing that Bush told the world: “If you’re not with us, you’re against us.” Ths simplistic notion is a logical extrapolation for a lot of people who consider College Football Saturday’s to be their real Holy Days of Obligation.Peace be with you.
*If you haven’t seen it, you’ll appreaciate it, even if you don’t really care for Matthews that much: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK0d8ENS__c
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Kirt Higdon says:
Mr. Kurtz, the John Birchers are anti-war, anti-global empire, anti-national security state (PATRIOT Act) etc. Their position is not essentially different from that of Ron Paul, who maintains a very friendly relationship with the JBS. Unfortunately, they and the Paulistas in general are only a small minority of the tea party. I’m not sure even Rand Paul is a true son of his father in ideas and policy.
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cFountain A William Kristol dart board.What a great concept I think it might make my Christmas wish list,thanks for the great idea. Heck,whats good for Israel sure must be good for you and me.”nothing to fear..but everything thats great I needed a good laugh,you made my day
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Raashid says:
The Us political establishment appears to now pratcically worship Israel. Zionism’s greatest victory has been in the US, where they have made elements of the world’s greatest nation actually believe it is their duty to be in servitude to them.
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Primo says:
As a college prof Kristol the Lesser taught Machiavelli. His use of impressionable ciphers like Quayle or Palin (or Fred Barnes for that matter) is typically Machiavellian. As suggested in the linked article, the quid pro quo is “you give me the thinking that I can’t seem to do for myself, and I’ll give you access to the sort of power that no normal American in his right mind would give someone like you.”
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“In short, they’ve convinced a lot of people the same thing that Bush told the world: “If you’re not with us, you’re against us.” ”
As I pointed out in an email to Peter Baker (then of the Washington Post) back in 2003, who had written a piece about Bush’s use of religious phrases (sort of speaking in code to his followers), even the phrase “if you are not with us, you’re against us” is a direct quote from the New Testament. Mathew 12:30; Luke 11:23. (Although I am an agnostic, I do try to keep up with the Bible since it plays such a large role in our politics, in the same way that I studied Karl Marx in college, even though I never subscribed to the religion of Communism.)
What I find especially objectionable about the neocons is that they, almost unanimously, have chosen not to put their own lives on the line on behalf of their country while agitating for the U.S. to get involved in as many wars they can dream up. Apparently, they feel no remorse about sending young Christians to do the necessary fighting and dying, as long as they and their children sit safely on the sidelines. While Jews comprise 33-1/3% of the Supreme Court and almost totally dominate the 7-member Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, they comprise about 0.5% of the military.
As for Chris Mathews, I believe he is an utterly two-faced poltical commentator. While he invariably condemns all Republican attempts to raise the specter of Nazi Germany and Hitler, I can recall the incident at the Rand Paul rally about a week before the election when a Paul supporter was shown stepping on the neck of an anti-Paul demonstrator, and Chris Mathews said the incident invoked memories of a special place “in the 1930′s.” So he chose to invoke a comparison to a period 80 years ago, well beyond the historical memory of most living Americans, while bypassing recent American experiences that many Americans can still vividly recall. He chose not to invoke the South of the early 1960′s when whites were abusing black civil rights demonstrators or the late 1960′s and early 1970′s when U.S. police and National Guardsmen were abusing anti-Vietnam War demonstrators. No, Chris Mathews was invariably drawn to 1930′s Nazi Germany. Yes, it was an ugly—though isolated–incident, but Nazi Germany? Give me a break.
“”They’ve taken FDR’s famous line and inverted it: “We have nothing to fear…but everything.” “”
You forgot JFK’s famous line: “Ask not what you can do for your country, but what you can do for Israel.”
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“His use of impressionable ciphers like Quayle or Palin (or Fred Barnes for that matter) is typically Machiavellian.”
I was actually thinking of Dan Quayle when I saw the “blank slate” remark in McConnell’s piece. That brought to mind how Kristol (as Quaye’s chief of staff) dreamed up the attack that Quayle launched on immoral Hollywood and its trashy movies, but the only person to pay a political price for the fruitless attack was Quayle himself. Kristol escaped without any harm to his reputation for brilliance. History seems to have repeated itself as Kristol has apparently emerged unharmed by the disastrous Iraq war policy that he was pushing from the mid-1990′s on. The politicians he “brilliantly” advises also seem to pay a price for following his advice, but Bill always seems to emerge unscathed by the disasters he promulgates with a smile on his face. Along the lines of Sharon Angle’s “Second Amendment remedies,” we desperately need a few ax-wielding Mexicans to save us from these Trotskyites.
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MannerBorne says:
tbraton: “The politicians he “brilliantly” advises also seem to pay a price for following his advice”
They certainly do. As each successive Frankenstein begins to stumble Kristol expediently finds a new host: onward and upward! But the bodies do begin to pile up, don’t they? Being advised by Kristol would seem to be the political equivalent of being married by Elizabeth Taylor.
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“Being advised by Kristol would seem to be the political equivalent of being married by Elizabeth Taylor.”
Without the obvious benefits. Honestly now, wouldn’t you prefer to be screwed by Elizabeth Taylor than Bill Kristol?
BTW that was a typo in my original comment which should have read “The politicians he ‘brilliantly’ advises always seem to pay a price for following his advice.” “Always” rather than “also.” Sloppy proofreading on my part.
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TomT says:
“the turn of the Republican Party away from realism…”
Remember all the old songs and satire about Bush “Talking to God”? Wondering what decisions his “inner voices” made?
Now, if you figure that Hitler and the Japanese killed 20+ million, and the WWII era ruskies killed 20+ million, and Mao killed 50+ million, then you gotta take seriously some of those fellas who DON’T talk to god.
How many of you deep thinkers are worried about who Obama has been talking to?
But then, I’m probably just a dangerous and racist TP’er, sitting waiting to get co-opted by the Neo-cons.
Smaller government, and more freedom. Anathema to those “more superior” than the “majority”.
“Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive…” – Joe Biden
Republicans and TP’ers turn away from “realism”? Satire, right?
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sal magundi says:
“How many of you deep thinkers are worried about who Obama has been talking to?”
well he’s gotten about the same number of people killed as george junior, or maybe even fewer, so …
“I’m probably just a dangerous and racist TP’er, sitting waiting to get co-opted by the Neo-cons.”
oh, to about the same extent that obama is a socialistmuslimamericahater
Best article I’ve seen so far on the subject, and I’d like to add something not mentioned therein by Mr. McConnell: Not only are the forces of co-optation mentioned by him already working on the Tea Partiers, just wait until the next election when it turns out they haven’t “taken back Washington” and they need money and institutional support to keep their seats. Hell, they’ll all be wearing crossed Israeli/American-flag lapel pins like the divine Sarah.
There’s no hope in the Tea Partiers I don’t think. Only in the sense that they’ll either be helpless when things go too far, or will in fact be behind going too far, which is going to have to happen I think for anything to change. Just like Saigon actually had to fall and people had to see us on T.V. with our tail between our legs fleeing before they started counting the costs and damage and lives and really started regarding that intervention as folly.
Regardless and again, nice work Mr. McConnell.