Can anyone explain "neo-lib" to me?

[TheFarseer]

I've seen a couple people throwing this term around but haven't picked up on what is meant by it.

[pstans]

1. Interesting

Is a neo-lib the exact opposite of a neo-con? I have no idea.

[Roland99]

2. neolib and neocon are almost interchangeable.

Remove the longing to use the military to spread the American empire and you have a neolib.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. They are not interchangeable if you agree with other posters on this

thread who identify actual Dems like Bill Clinton as neolibs.

Just the very fact of voting for Dems and/or NOT voting for Repubs would be a rather important distinction.

Does anyone have any good links or articles about this? I see a lot of misuse of the term "neocon" on this site and there are fairly well established origins and definitions of that term.

[Tinoire]

12. Agreed

Neoliberals and Neoconservatives share the exact same goals and trade off on who's holding the reins as they work together to achieve their aims.

Neoliberals prefer to use trade tariffs, World Bank loans, IMF reforms, sanctions, and such "economic coercions" and when those don't work, enter the neoconservatives who make no effort to disguise their intentions and send in the military.

Just two different mafia methods.

Most of the neocons everyone so reviles today started off as Democrats. Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz, to this day, are still registered Democrats. That right there should tell you something...

[brainshrub]

3. They believe that military force should be used to protect corporate

interests.

Think of a former hippie who became a successful and wealthy commodities broker. He isn't evil enough to register Republican, but he doesn't want to support policies that would endanger his wealth.

That is a Neo-Liberal.

[earth mom]

8. Just like Oprah...

I like her....BUT! And it's a big BUT because she has SO much power and SO much influence and won't do a damn thing to fight these bastards! Her show is based on compassion and caring but I don't see her doing anything except that piss poor voting show where she was totally and 100% non committal when she could have made a huge difference in opening peoples mind about * & Co. :eyes:

Oprah plays it safe all right. She's protecting her interests and money no doubt about it. And she's lost a LOT of my respect because of it. Because what could be more compassionate than saving people from *s war?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. Can anyone on this thread give an example of a well known person who

is a "neolib"? I can give you plenty of "neo-cons" but I can't name anyone who is a consensus "neolib".

[cprise]

5. Bill Clinton, prime example.

Tony Blair

Hillary Clinton

Joe Lieberman

actually about 80% or more of the Democrats in Congress.

The best litmus test is, are they pro-NAFTA?

[Roland99]

9. Reagan?

Picture the NAFTA lovers. Clinton could definitely be termed neoliberal to an extent.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

10. To me, this term has no meaning if people are lumping Reagan, Clinton

together under it.

[Roland99]

14. Clinton, to me, isn't a true neoliberal. Only his support of like NAFTA

would put him close to that category.

[Lone_Wolf]

18. I'd say there was more...

Michael Moore said about Clinton and it's 100% true.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Michael_Moore/Democrats_DOA_SWM.html

"He has signed a bill providing for federal funds to be distributed to "faith-based" charitable organizations.

He has expanded the number of federal crimes for which the death penalty can be given to a total of sixty.

He has signed a bill outlawing gay marriages and has taken out ads on Christian radio stations touting his opposition to any form of legal same-sex couplings.

In a short span of time, he has been able to kick ten million people off welfare-that's ten million out of fourteen million total recipients."

There's a lot more...

[KittyWampus]

6. Liberalism Means "Unregulated". Everywhere But Here, Neo-Liberal Refers

Unregulated Industry or Free Market Capitalism.

Of course, with the 'unregulated' bit being an illusion. The Economy to a Neo-Liberal SHOULD be regulated... just to the advantage of Industry.

Far as I know, only in the US does Liberalism refer to unregulated Society...

[Lone_Wolf]

11. Essentially means pro-corporate and socially liberal...

Use this as a rule of thumb...

Many have bought into the Free-Market myth. There are varying degrees. of neolibs depending on how much they favor corporate rights to individual rights. They are more willing to work with other countries than the neocons.

On a political spectrum, I would put them slightly to the left of the moderate Republicans.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

13. So far the definitions seem too broad to me. You can point to Wolfowitz

and I can say "he's a neoconservative". What's Kerry? Clinton? Howard Dean? Reagan? ????

[Lone_Wolf]

17. Wolfowitz is a neocon

Wolfowitz wouldn't fit my criteria of neolib... Wolfowitz certainly doesn't like the idea of working with other nations. He essentially wrote the PNAC doctrine on US dominance.

Kerry and Clinton would both be neolibs, but I would say Kerry is the more hawkish of the two.

Howard Dean is tough to quantitiate. On economic issues he's moderate and on social issues he tends to be liberal to moderate.

Reagan political leanings were irrelevant because he was a tool to those really in charge (the policy makers in his administration). He was just a huckster salesman who could get the American people to buy the neocon's product.

[johnaries]

15. From Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-liberal
"The term neoliberalism was coined by Conservative Republicans to describe a political-economic philosophy that had major implications for government policies beginning in the 1970s – and increasingly prominent since 1980 – that de-emphasizes or rejects government intervention in the economy (that complements private initiative), focusing instead on achieving progress and even social justice by encouraging free-market methods and fewer restrictions on business operations and economic development. Supporters argue that by implementing business-friendly policies, a society can assure that its businesses grow, creating jobs and other economic benefits which improve the welfare of the entire economy. This is commonly referred to as 'trickle down economics' or 'Reaganomics.' Detractors tend to think that government intervention is necessary to create an equitable society.

It can be contrasted with economic nationalism, fair trade and anti-capitalism, three different alternatives to neoliberalism."

Much more on the link.

Interesting thing, near the top of the page is a warning that the "neutrality" of the article is disputed, with a link to a discussion page.

Is this a new Freeper tactic?

OK, I'm going in...

[johnaries]

16. Wow! No, It's not a Freeper tactic. It was an amazing discussion!

I highly recommend reading it. Most seemed to agree that neo-liberalism is an economic philosophy. Basically, a Free Market philosophy. Although some claimed that, in essence, it was no different that neo-conservativism, some pointed out that neo-conservatism also included a "hawkish" foreign policy wheras a neo-liberal could be either hawkish or doveish, and either socially conservative or liberal. Clinton was cited as a neo-liberal who was also socially liberal.

Here are some examples given:
"Neoliberalism has many representatives especially in the centris Democratic Leadership Conference wing of the Democratic Party. Prominent neoliberals would be the Clintons, Gary Hart, and Joe Lieberman. I saw Gary Hart referred to as a neoliberal in the book Cadillac Desert, which is from the 1980s."

[CityZen-X]

19. See Sen. Dianne Frankenstein