DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - What american conservatives need to know about Europe

**jeraveike** · 02-12-2006, 02:51 AM

This article as a whole was reasonably interesting but somewhat narrow and provincial in its perspective (surprising for Der Speigel).

The author's most obvious mistake is confusing neo-conservatism with American conservatism as a whole. This seems to be a misconception shared by the creator of this thread as well - therefore, perhaps I might suggest that European liberals need to know some things about American conservatives as well?

Neo-conservatism promotes a foreign policy comparable to the Democrat's policy of the 1960s, as manifested most obviously by LBJ and the war in Viet Nam. They also promote government spending as a way of paying for that policy - again, just as the Democrats did in the 1960s. Neo-conservatism is only a few years old and will probably prove to be a hothouse plant that flourishes for a few years and then dies; traditional conservatism is part of American history.

This is a surprising oversight. I would suggest that European journalists travel to the US and discuss these issues with many people before writing articles like this. The reference to "common values" can also refer to common traditions, systems of law and education, history, art, literature and family connections. The idea that "common values" MUST refer only to an understanding of the government's role in society is false.

02-12-2006, 02:51 AM	#15
jeraveike Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 477 Senior Member	This article as a whole was reasonably interesting but somewhat narrow and provincial in its perspective (surprising for Der Speigel). The author's most obvious mistake is confusing neo-conservatism with American conservatism as a whole. This seems to be a misconception shared by the creator of this thread as well - therefore, perhaps I might suggest that European liberals need to know some things about American conservatives as well? Neo-conservatism promotes a foreign policy comparable to the Democrat's policy of the 1960s, as manifested most obviously by LBJ and the war in Viet Nam. They also promote government spending as a way of paying for that policy - again, just as the Democrats did in the 1960s. Neo-conservatism is only a few years old and will probably prove to be a hothouse plant that flourishes for a few years and then dies; traditional conservatism is part of American history. This is a surprising oversight. I would suggest that European journalists travel to the US and discuss these issues with many people before writing articles like this. The reference to "common values" can also refer to common traditions, systems of law and education, history, art, literature and family connections. The idea that "common values" MUST refer only to an understanding of the government's role in society is false.
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