Confronting the New Conservatism: The Rise of the Right in America

by Michael Thompson

Overview

William Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, George F. Will, and Dick Cheney. These are today’s neoconservatives“confident, clear-cut, and a political force to be reckoned with. But how should we define this new conservatism? What is new about it? In this volume, some of today's top political scholars take on the charge of explaining, defining, and confronting the new conservatism of the last twenty-five years. The authors examine the ideas, policies and roots of this ideological movement showing that contemporary neoconservatism has been able to blend many of the aspects of social conservatism—such as religious populism and nationalism—with economic liberalism and the rhetoric of equality of opportunity and individualism. With their emphasis on dismantling the welfare state and a rhetorical return to economic laissez faire and individual rights, neoconservatives have been able to harness populist sentiment in terms of both economics and cultural issues. And with their belief in moral and cultural “simplicity,” their turn away from science, their conviction in American superiority on the global stage, and their embrace of “anti-government” rhetoric, they have effectively changed the nature of the American political landscape.
The contributors to Confronting the New Conservatism offer a trenchant analysis and substantive critique of the neoconservative ethos, arguing that it is an ideology that needs to be better understood if change is to be had.
Contributors: Stanley Aronowitz, Chip Berlet, Stephen Eric Bronner, Lawrence Davidson, Greg Grandin, Philip Green, Diana M. Judd, Thomas M. Keck, Charles Noble, R. Claire Snyder, Michael J. Thompson, and Nicholas Xenos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814782989
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2007
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Michael J. Thompson is Assistant Professor of Political Science at William Paterson Universityand the founding editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society & Culture.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Confronting the New Conservatism
Michael J. Thompson
Part I What Is the New Conservatism?
1 America’s Conservative Landscape: The New Conservatism and the Reorientation of American Democracy
Michael J. Thompson
2 Cultural Rage and the Right-Wing Intellectuals
Philip Green
3 Considerations on the Origins of Neoconservatism: Looking Backward
Stanley Aronowitz
4 The New Political Right in the United States: Reaction, Rollback, and Resentment
Chip Berlet
Part II The New Conservatism at Home
5 From Neoconservative to New Right: American Conservatives and the Welfare State
Charles Noble
6 Tearing Down the Wall: Conservative Use and Abuse of Religion in Politics
Diana M. Judd
7 Paradox or Contradiction: The Marriage Mythos in Neoconservative Ideology
R. Claire Snyder
8 The Neoconservative Assault on the Courts: How Worried Should We Be?
Thomas M. Keck
Part III The Global Reach of the New Conservative Ideology
9 The Imperial Presidency: The Legacy of Reagan’s Central America Policy
Greg Grandin
10 The Neocon Con Game: Nihilism Revisited
Nicholas Xenos
11 One-Dimensional Men: Neoconservatives, Their Allies and Models
Lawrence Davidson
12 Resisting the Right: Challenging the Neoconservative Agenda
Stephen Eric Bronner
Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Thompson . . . has put together a book of essays that seeks to ‘confront’ this new conservatism and lay bare its inner workings. The collection brings together commentators on contemporary American politics. . . . The group has an unabashedly progressive bent and their stated objective is to bury the new conservatism even as they enviously praise its successes.”
-Popmatters,

“A useful resource that will enable the careful reader to understand the similarities and differences among these multiple ideologies.”
-Choice

,

“Arguing that American conservatism today is not only a rejoinder to liberalism but a reflection of at least some of its values, Confronting the New Conservatism subjects the neo-conservative and Christian conservative movements to thoughtful scrutiny and original scholarly analysis. While animated by progressive politics, this collection offers students and citizens alike a deeper look at the intellectual and ideological foundations of the American right in ways that will encourage understanding as well as a more effective liberal response.”
-Benjamin R. Barber,author of Jihad vs. McWorld

“Thompson has assembled an exciting collection of essays written by a high quality group of scholars. The essays are sharp and academically rigorous, but also highly engaging and readable.”
-Judith Grant,author of Fundamental Feminism

Editorial Reviews

"A useful resource that will enable the careful reader to understand the similarities and differences among these multiple ideologies."

Choice

Arguing that American conservatism today is not only a rejoinder to liberalism but a reflection of at least some of its values, Confronting the New Conservatism subjects the neo-conservative and Christian conservative movements to thoughtful scrutiny and original scholarly analysis. While animated by progressive politics, this collection offers students and citizens alike a deeper look at the intellectual and ideological foundations of the American right in ways that will encourage understanding as well as a more effective liberal response.”
-Benjamin R. Barber,author of Jihad vs. McWorld

“A useful resource that will enable the careful reader to understand the similarities and differences among these multiple ideologies.”
-Choice

“Thompson . . . has put together a book of essays that seeks to ‘confront’ this new conservatism and lay bare its inner workings. The collection brings together commentators on contemporary American politics. . . . The group has an unabashedly progressive bent and their stated objective is to bury the new conservatism even as they enviously praise its successes.”
-Popmatters

“Thompson has assembled an exciting collection of essays written by a high quality group of scholars. The essays are sharp and academically rigorous, but also highly engaging and readable.”
-Judith Grant,author of Fundamental Feminism

From the Publisher

"Arguing that American conservatism today is not only a rejoinder to liberalism but a reflection of at least some of its values, Confronting the New Conservatism subjects the neo-conservative and Christian conservative movements to thoughtful scrutiny and original scholarly analysis. While animated by progressive politics, this collection offers students and citizens alike a deeper look at the intellectual and ideological foundations of the American right in ways that will encourage understanding as well as a more effective liberal response."

Benjamin R. Barber

"Thompson . . . has put together a book of essays that seeks to & confront this new conservatism and lay bare its inner workings. The collection brings together commentators on contemporary American politics. . . . The group has an unabashedly progressive bent and their stated objective is to bury the new conservatism even as they enviously praise its successes."

Popmatters

"Thompson has assembled an exciting collection of essays written by a high quality group of scholars. The essays are sharp and academically rigorous, but also highly engaging and readable."

Judith Grant