Monday, January 25, 2016

Neocon Conservatives vs Old Right Conservatives; What is the Difference?

Lew Rockwell explains:
National Review and the Weekly Standard, and their political bedfellows...carry the banner of conservatism today. The term conservative, in the current sense, came into use after WWII as part of the CIA-funded Bill Buckley  attempt to wipe out the prewar Old Right, which was anti-statist, anti-interventionist, and anti-imperialist. Murray Rothbard kept the flame alight, with the help of Ralph Raico and other giants. Then along came Ron Paul, who spread Murray’s thinking, and restored the Old Right as a movement. This is why he is so hated, for so effectively leading the opposition to the CIA-neocon-Buckleyite ideology of conservatism, and gaining so many young libertarian supporters all over the world.

Strategically, it makes sense for  anarcho-capitalists to try and keep the Old Right perspective of what a conservative is alive.

A lot of conservatives, who don't understand the differences in the two perspectives, likely would have no desire for the neocon conservativism view if they understood it completely. Rockwell notes:
Looking at what National Review and the Weekly Standard advocate, and their political heroes, we can say: some libertarian rhetoric, war, the military-industrial complex, money printing, continual government expansion, predatory taxes, corporatism, global empire, the police state, and the drug war, to scratch the surface.
Aside from the occasional libertarian rhetoric that provides the cover for their statist views, there isn't much good to say about the neocons. This needs to be emphasized with the casual conservative who can be brought over to the Old Right perspective.

 -RW

2 comments:

  1. When I hear the term old right I think of Pat Buchanan and the paleocons who are just as statist as your next neocon. I dont view economic protectionism and being a drug warrior (with some exceptions like Chuck Baldwin) as liberty positions. Also Ive noticed in these last few years that some on the old right have become neoreactionaries.

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  2. I don't think the average person knows what a neocon is. People are way more basic than that even. One of the great faults of libertarianism is to assume that all people are introspective or even inquisitive.

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