| Generally, it was used to designate a group of people who were either liberal or socialist up to the late '70s or early '80s, and who were mostly Democrats, who became progressively disillusioned with the Democrat Party and/or the Left in general, and began taking conservative criticisms of the Left more seriously. Those who remained firmly in the liberal camp came to be called "neo- liberals". Those who supported Reagan in the '80 election, primarily on foreign policy grounds, were called "neoconservatives". Some who became moderate Democrats, such as those in the Coalition for a Democratic Majority, were also called "neoconservatives", somewhat erroneously. Most "neocons" became more conservative as time wore on, and some dropped the "neo". Some shifted to the "neoliberal" camp, or became moderates, and ended up supporting Clinton. I retain the "neo" to indicate that I come from a particular history and perspective that colors my approach to things, but on most things I am pretty much the same as a mainstream conservative. Among different emphases: I am more interested in encouraging democratic change in other countries than the average conservative; I am more interested in outreach to minorities than the average conservative; I am less "anti- government" than the average conservative; and I more firmly reject libertarian premises (while agreeing on the preferability of a free market) than the average conservative........ |
