| To give an example of one strand of neoconservative that resisted the label, let me tell you about the Schachtmanites. Max Schachtman was a Communist who became disillusioned with Stalin and gained a following in sectarian socialist struggles. Eventually, he developed the view that the socialist intellectuals should take their cue from the actually existing labor movement, which is to say, the AFL- CIO. Thus, most Schactmanites became involved in organized labor or the Democratic Party, when they were not academics or writers. However, they maintained ties to the Social Democratic Party, and in 1980, took control of it and committed it to supporting Ronald Reagan, on the basis of Breshnev's adventurism and Carter's fecklessness. Needless to say, this caused quite a contratemps. Michael Harrington led an exodus into a new Democratic Socialist Party, pretty much leaving the Social Democrats to the Schachtmanites. When Clinton was pursuing the nomination, he wooed some of these people who had remained Democrats, and, in turn, they wooed others. Many preferred trying to keep their home in the Democratic Party, and remained, at least, Welfare Staters, so Clinton recruited quite a few. Generally, they disliked being referred to as neoconservatives. However, a lot of them (not all) gave up on the Democrats after being burned by Clinton......... |
