<p>“My yahoo gene is obviously kicking in.”</p>
<p>let it mature.</p>
<p>Since simba cannot explain what a “neo-lib” is, can anyone else?</p>
<p>I really would like to know what the term means. Can someone please explain it without being glib? 
</p>
<p>1sokkermom. I suspect you know the problem here, and are enjoying the difficulty simba is in. Clever.</p>
<p>For others, I say never look to a dittohead wannabe to learn anything worthwhile. In truth, [url=<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-liberalism]Neo-Liberalism[/url”>Neoliberalism - Wikipedia]Neo-Liberalism[/url</a>] is exactly opposite of what many knuckle-dragging intellectual hicks think it is. It is basic classical liberalism focusing on economics as a way to promote political freedom.</p>
<p>I suspect people like simba once heard some radio caveman raging on and on against “Neo-libs” and decided it was basically a “new-liberal”, as opposed to a classic liberal, a pejorative term to be used to slam anyone unwilling to drink Reagan’s urine - or something like that. So these folks are running, in complete ignorance, with the term.</p>
<p>simba:
That was so lame… lol. I think you get that you are wrong now.</p>
<p>bulletandpima:
<em>Sigh</em></p>
<p>What does that have to do with anything? </p>
<p>My entire point is that African Americans are more than willing to vote for a White politician while many Whites are unwilling to vote for an African American politician. Thus, it’s very tough to characterize African American support for Obama as racism because history completely contradicts that assertion. However, it is legitimate to characterize some White opposition to the Obama candidacy as racism.</p>
<p>
<em>Sigh</em></p>
<p>I don’t think you are keeping up with the discussion… Go back and read some of the earlier posts. :)</p>
<p>“It is basic classical liberalism focusing on economics as a way to promote political freedom.”</p>
<p>code words for expanding welfare programs without accountability/responsibility.</p>
<p>You really need to read something, ANYTHING, for a change. Neo-libs actually wish to take public economics and put it in the hands of the private sector. The last thing they want to do is expand government programs.</p>
<p>Simba, Drosselmeir is correct. Neo liberalism is a form of free market economics, basically what Reagan and Thatcher did. Stuff like deregulation of the airlines, get rid of the unions, privatize government services, and reduce the size of government as much as possible. It is a form of libertarianism, believing in a hands off approach to the economy, very pro capitalism w/o govt interference.</p>
<p>What you are thinking of Simba is New Liberalism, which is more social liberalism, stuff like universal health care, more and better welfare, more government control (like the direct lending student loans) and less privatization. But I understand your confusion. I’ve heard the term neo-lib used on the radio and seen it referred to in columns and many people do seem to think it means the opposite of neo-con.</p>
<p>Neo-liberalism is basically a cover for complete corporate invasion into governmental processes on a global scale. Instead of allowing free markets (which don’t exist ANYWHERE) to prevail, neo-liberalism provides a context for disaster capitalism and the destruction of all forms of community ownership, communal rights, environmental integrity, and individual freedom in the name of “progress” - [Amazon.com:</a> The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism: Naomi Klein: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0312427999/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211411921&sr=8-2]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0312427999/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211411921&sr=8-2)</p>
<p>Probably it’s strongest proponent in the 20th Century was Al Gore, likely responsible for more environmental destruction and global pollution than any single individual in the last millennium.</p>
<p>It seems that Obama has as his economic advisors three neo-liberal, or classical free market, economists, namely Austan Goolsbee, David Cutler, and Jeffrey Liebman. If their ideas, such as Liebman wanting to privatize social security, or Cutler being ok with high health care costs as a driver of the economy, are such a bad thing (your post implies they are bad), then why do you support Obama?</p>
<p>And you’re anti Al Gore too?</p>
<p>Goolsbee is opposed to single payor health care; I thought you were for it. Cutler and Liebman worked for Bill Clinton. Obama could be more Clinton redux than Hillary.</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of being “anti-Gore”. I have seen firsthand the deaths and destruction caused by neo-liberalism - for which Al Gore was the world’s leading spokesman - and it isn’t a pretty site. There are NO “classical free-marketers” working for Obama, or for McCain for that matter, because outside of a few semi-lunatic libertarians, there aren’t any real free-marketers left. </p>
<p>As for Obama - I’ve said it before - I don’t expect much from a conservative Democrat like Obama. I have two daughters of different races. That’s enough for me. With low expectations, I might be pleasantly surprised. But I won’t be fooled. (I voted for Bill Clinton once - biggest political error I ever made in my life.)</p>
<p>Back to your cave Mini. The world is ending soon. All that death and destruction–it’s amazing there are 7 Billion or so left. If only all the world were big Co-Op in the sky, life would be peachy.</p>
<p>“If a strong tension developed between what was good for his career and what was good for African Americans, blacks could not be reasonably confident about the choices Clinton would make.”</p>
<p>Good grief…You could replace “African Americans” and “blacks” with any group you want, and “Clinton” with any politician you want, and this would still be true. That article just claims that if Clinton did anything to help blacks, it was just a coincidence. Ironically, I think one of the main reasons that Obama is having such broad success, including among white voters, is that most people don’t think that he will help blacks at the expense of whites.</p>
<p>“Back to your cave Mini. The world is ending soon. All that death and destruction–it’s amazing there are 7 Billion or so left. If only all the world were big Co-Op in the sky, life would be peachy.”</p>
<p>I’ll take you on my next visit, and you can see it for yourself. </p>
<p>You wanna buy some rice?</p>