DU suggestion: Neocon Watch

[info being]

Whether or not Bush ultimately resigns, we need to keep focus on all of the enemies to the American public so that we can ultimately hold them accountable and remove them from power. Case in point: we should have known about Michael Brown long before Katrina. Widespread knowledged of his horse-show background could have been spun into a story and pitched to CNN long before Katrina, thus avoiding some of the consequences.

We need a section of DU where we can list each and every one of our Neocon enemies. This will give us the opportunity to do independent research and compile the evidence against them...to track them. This can either be done in the form of a never-ending thread about each of them, and/or a link to their page on wikipedia.org. We might even add the ability to "rank" them in terms of significance. And when newsworthy stories develop, we can begin blasting representatives and the media...with the goal of exposing corruption and bringing down our enemies.

I believe that such a resource will be valuable and interesting not only to DUers (so that we aren't constantly blindsided with new names) but it would also be a great resource for the news media and Progressives in government.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. While I think "vote the scoundrels out"

is a great plan, I'm not sure that Brown's past would have adequately prepared us for his ultimate failure. Wasn't he in charge of Florida recovery efforts last year? (I am sure there are opinions of his effectivness but I live in FL and don't remember any feeling at that time that he was such a goober."

Your plan reminds me of the front page mag blog where they list the dastardly left and all their evil doings. I guess it works for them.

[Mr Rabble]

2. This is a sound suggestion.

Things to be kept aware of/ tracked:

Pundits
Think tanks
Contractors
Companies
Officials

In much the same way that Israel has relentlessly tracked the Nazi's, we need to track the Neocon movement.

[wake.up.america]

3. I second the motion and move the proposal be accepted

[Raster]

16. I third that second

[Raster]

17. oops. self-delete

[info being]

6. I agree

Maybe this is already being done somewhere, but if so I'm not aware of it. Wikipedia is probably the best example, but we need a list pointing to them and an ability to rank them. I also suggested the discussion forum thread format just to give it a little more of a "real-time" feel.

[Lasher]

4. May I suggest...

this web site

http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/index.html

as required reading for anyone who wants to understand the neocons? There you will find a partial list of names you seek. I have found the 'neocon 101' section to be very useful in learning just what these people are all about, and in describing this same thing to others.

Neocons are not enemies of only Democrats; they are also enemies of true conservatives who really understand what neocons are.

[info being]

7. Neocons, Fascists, Nazi's, war-profiteerers...all the same thing

They are all enemies of the people.

[Emit]

5. There are others who are already doing this

Or something similar. Here is a good source:

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ind/index.php

[info being]

8. That's a great start...

We can use that as a starting list...but it will become much more dynamic when publishing / editing is open to all. Also, maybe I'm wrong, but I think DU has a higher-profile to the media and government.

[info being]

9. One more thought...

As for the "ranking", maybe that isn't necessary...that is a natural extention of the discussion forum format...more popular items are kept to the top.

[Cats Against Frist]

10. Oh snap.

I will help out -- but, may I make a suggestion -- I've taken to calling the "neocons" the "right-wing ivory tower," because, in this way, it encompasses the neocons/Straussians, the Catholic hard right organizations, as well as the normal conservative think tanks. Freepers think that only the left is "intellectually elitist," and looks down on them. They need a rude awakening, and I try to do my best to help that out. There are many, MANY people from the university systems, with a string of letters after their names, that form the memes and propaganda of ther right. "Neocon," automatically gets the "you're an anti-Semite," retort -- but, pointing out that the right has an intellectual elite who actually think less of the freepers, than the left, does no harm.

[skids]

11. You mean like this?

http://www.dkosopedia.com/index.php/Biographies

[info being]

12. Yes, but more living and dynamic

Like DU.

[skids]

13. Each article there has a talk page.

...And those are quite dynamic, as long as there is participation.

It's been my experience that even when performed in a DU thread, research projects don't attract as much participation as you might be hoping for. Most people on forums aren't looking to write a "production quality" essay, and those that are tend towards opinion/editorial peices. I think it's more an aspect of what people want to do than what forums/wikis/whatever are available to do them on.

Most quality DU/progressive research ends up being the product of a small team of very dedicated individuals who spend a huge amount of time on it, rather than the long-aspired-to dream of a large team each spending a small but signifigant amount of time.

FWIW. I don't like it but that's the way it seems to be.

Recommended, BTW.

[babsbunny]

14. He may resign?

I was just thinking today how the Repubs could actually start trying to make us think they are turning against Bush, but in reality it would just be another trick, and then just continue their agenda, but without Bush. They will sacrifice Bush to be able to continue their agenda!

[Pacifist Patriot]

20. I was talking about this to some friends this morning.

On one hand, Bush alone chills the daylights out of me and I can only see his departure as a good thing. On the other, I know full well the neocons and the religious far right will not release their stranglehold on power gently.

Bush is now being exposed for the incompetent madman that he is...but is that enough to disenchant people enamored of the far right agenda he represents?

[AbbyR]

21. I had been thinking that they had deserted him...

until I saw the party line vote on the Katrina commission in the senate. Maybe it was wishful thinking. But then, if he did resign...President Cheney? UGH!

[Initech]

15. Good suggestion!

We especially need to keep track of the latest GOP talking points so when we get into arguements with Republicans (god forbid), we can counter them easily.

[Pacifist Patriot]

18. Excellent. I have been telling people for a long time that...

neocons, and PNAC signatories specifically, need to be put under a microscope and then a spotlight. I'm sure what I know wouldn't fill a thimble but it's enough to scare the daylights out of me. I would love to see a slick well-funded organization set up just to monitor and expose their activities. But I'll settle for a grass roots effort to do the same.

[KharmaTrain]

19. A DU Truth Squad

I suggested this so long ago, it's got cobwebs on its cobwebs.

I called it "The Truth Squad"...a section to monitor the media...specifically radio and TV...pick out the spin points and organize ways to counter that spin.

It's just not Neo-Cons, there's a lot of agendas out there and it's going on real-time. There's lots of interesting ideas and creative people here that could network in a greater effort to create a louder progressive voice with a more rapid response.

Well...maybe it isn't quite the right time...

[grrl62]

26. this is a wonderful idea

decoding and countering the spin.

[KharmaTrain]

29. Sadly Not Something For DU

This place is just for ranting...not quite the place for anything more.

Cheers...

[info being]

30. Also, it is too much work to track every single thing that goes on

We need to focus on the core of the problem, not all the symptoms.

[starroute]

22. We need an early warning system -- not just a database

There are a lot of excellent resources out there -- but they aren't tied in with the headlines in a dynamic way, and they don't identify threats that are still under the radar.

For example, during the last school year, there were about half a dozen different stories posted at DU involving the Alliance Defense Fund and their attempt to shove religion into the public schools. But nobody ever tied them together and said, "Look, this is what's happening."

Similarly, there are a bunch of right-wing organizations attacking liberals on college campuses, often through staged acts of provocation and victimization. There are also certain predictable media outlets that then play up every case of some student who got an F on a term paper that expressed conservative opinions, or some campus hate group that was denied school funding, or some left-wing professor who suggested that even terrorists have legitimate grievances.

And a little further out on the horizon are the anti-environmental, anti-regulation, and extremist free-trade groups and legal foundations -- many of them funded by ExxonMobil or by the tobacco industry -- who pose as defenders of individual rights.

I could name names here, but that isn't the best way to track them. Their real job is not to be out front themselves but to funnel money and legal assistance to wherever it will do the most good. For example, Morton Blackwell's Leadership Institute provides seed money and training for many right-wing campus groups and newspapers, but they don't have any formal system of group membership so you have to dig very deep to find out the connections.

A message board structure isn't ideal, but I might suggest that DU set up a "Usual Suspects" forum, where stories involving these people and organizations (or incidents that seem to show their signature) could be posted -- or cross-posted if they pop up initially in LBN or GD -- for further research and action.

[applegrove]

23. An enemies list is something neocon sites put up. To normalize the

practice of attack - as if it were not against god's wishes or adulthood to have enemies (unless you really are being stalked by some nutbomb).

We don't need to ape them. Their policies and tactics are beginning to sink them. Real adults are disgusted with the adolescent plays & games with the real lives of Americans.

We do not need to learn anything from them.

Now that their patterns of behaviour & attack are coming under question - they need us to ape them so they can say "they are no different than us".

Well - we are different.

We know who is not doing their job. We will find out more about Bush cronies and function-nots in the next months. We do not need an "enemies" list. That is copying a page right off the wingnut sites.

We are adults and fighting as adults is how we will win. People are waking up and becoming disgusted with GOP & Rovbot tactics of "hate", "fear", "sheep", "spin", "enemies lists", etc.

We have nothing to learn from them. And the people who we feel should be investigated more can be posted about in threads. With context as to why we are afraid they are not doing their jobs and why we watch. That context keeps things from being misread as simply personal attacks.

GOP is beginning to blead adults. Why would we start acting like adolescent repukes?

[info being]

28. I understand you inclination not to act like "them"

But I don't think it is the same if we are honest in our approach. I'm not talking about listing ways to debunk arguments or effectively slander someone...I'm talking about tracking what they're actually up to. There's nothing wrong with tracking actual corruption and calling it what it is. It just speeds up the process you describe.

[Mich Otter]

24. How about making it part of ...

a conspiracies, theories, and predictions forum?
Many theories need to be explored to bring the info out to the open to see what links there are to determine whether or not a conspiracy exists.

[Pachamama]

25. Think of it as the real "Homeland Security System"....

I think its a great idea....have bios and background on these people and what their pasts are and what they are up to....

I can tell you one thing....if I had known about "Brownie" I would have written a long time ago to my Senators demanding that an unqualified person like him be fired.....

[Clark2008]

27. Bush is not going to resign.

Why have so many DUers latched onto this theory?

Wishful thinking? :)

But, yeah, I like the idea of a NeoCon Watch.

[OregonBlue]

31. DU Activists forum? New thread where groups, individuals can be

added along with articles, speeches, action plans? Moderators then post action plans to breaking news or greatest?