> From the Solidarity listserv, with permission of the author:
>
> ***** Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 15:48:47 -0500 (EST)
> From: WSheasby at cs.com
> Subject: The Rise of the Neo-Centrics
>
> 2003 has seen the rise of a new current in U.S. politics, best described
> as NeoCentrics, or simply NeoCens, for ease of comparison with a better
> known defection of Socialists to the Conservative Right. Although
> allied with longtime social democrats (who were once distinguished by
> whether they accepted secret funding in bags from John A. McCone's
> office or Armand Hammer's office), the NeoCens are former radical
> critics of "lesser-evilism" who have decided a year before the 2004
> election that the whiff of fascism is in the air.
So, between the neo-conservatives, and the neo-liberals, there's now a neo-center?
Let me see if I have the taxonomy straight. "Neo-conservatives" are Old Left guys who went rightward in the 1970s and went for Reagan in a big way. "Neo-liberals" were liberals who adjusted their ideology rightward under Reagan. Now we have "neo-centrics," who are liberals who are moving slightly rightward in order to get rid of Bush.
I'd like to offer "neoleftist," to describe people on the Left who allying themselves with liberals (neo or not) in order to get rid of Bush. And then there's "neo-radicals," namely, former right-wingers who've wised up to who their real class enemies are, and are taking a crash course in Marxism. Perhaps we can also ferret out a few "neo-neoliberals," those who are fine-tuning their ideologies leftward so that they won't catch flak for having supported Republicans, and why not use "paleo-leftists" for Chomsky or Zinn? Perhaps there are "neo-libertarians," namely, former right-wingers who are alarmed about the Patriot Act (like Bob Barr), and if someone could find a description to fit "neo-Stalinist," "neo-Trotskyist" or maybe even "neo-paleo-conservative," which might fit Charles Murray.
Or maybe someone ought to write to this Walt Sheasby guy and reassure him that he's clever. That way, he won't have to try to _prove_ it by coming up with this stuff.