Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservativism

by Ben J. Wattenberg

How did a nice, liberal Jewish boy from the Bronx come to be called a conservative?

Ben J. Wattenberg has been at the center of American ideas and events since 1966, when he became a speechwriter for and aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Recruited out of the blue, Wattenberg worked closely with press secretary Bill Moyers and immersed himself in the world of high-powered Democratic strategy making. Eventually he served as an adviser to two Democratic presidential candidates and in the 1970s helped write the Democratic National Platform.
But something funny happened on the way to the Great Key players in the Democratic Party moved to the far left. Wattenberg was not happy with this situation, so he helped establish the Coalition for a Democratic Majority (CDM) and became one of the most outspoken voices in the so-called neo-con movement.
Neo-conservatism, with its signature cause of promoting liberty around the world, is a philosophy often misunderstood, and the phrase neo-con is used frequently as an insult by those who fail to understand the concept. Wattenberg traces the emergence of the movement from its earliest roots among Cold War thinkers such as Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz and from among the ashes of pre-radical liberalism of the early 1960s, to ideological giants Scoop Jackson and Pat Moynihan, to Jeanne Kirkpatrick and Ronald Reagan. The author also discusses the proliferation of neo-con “think tanks,” such as the American Enterprise Institute, as well as the surprising appearance of a neo-conservative platform in George W. Bush’s administration, in which a number of Wattenberg’s protégés have played key roles.
With his characteristic wit and on-target observations, the author recounts personal anecdotes featuring a rich cast of characters from Johnson to Reverend Jesse Jackson to Rudolph Giulani, as well as many others. Never lacking for opinions---he calls himself the “immoderator” of PBS’s Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg ---the author is here to set the record straight, and as the New York Times has said, “Wattenberg has the annoying habit of being right.” Replete with stories never told before, Fighting Words is Wattenberg’s firsthand account of the remarkable transformation of American politics over the last four decades.

384 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2008

About the author

Joseph Ben Zion Wattenberg (August 26, 1933 - June 28, 2015), known as Ben J. Wattenberg, was an American author, commentator and demographer. He was an aide and speechwriter to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968, and served as an adviser to Hubert Humphrey's 1970 Senate race. Wattenberg was a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. He was appointed to various committees and commissions by Presidents Carter, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, as well as by then-Speaker Tom Foley. Wattenberg died on June 28, 2015 from complications following surgery. Wattenberg's written works included: The First Universal Nation, 1991; Fewer: How the New Demography of Depopulation Will Shape Our Future, 2004; Values Matter Most, 1995; and Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism, 2008.

Reviews

[Phillip Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

The gist is that as the Democratic party has become increasingly liberal, the moderate liberals became disgusted, and in reaction "founded" neo-conservatism. From the perspective of the radical left, the moderate liberals seemed conservative.

All this really means is that both liberals (radical liberals) and neo cons (moderate liberals) are actually liberal. The whole spectrum of politics has shifted so far left that real conservatives aren't even on the scale any more. And this was done intentionally by influential liberals.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book I had awareness of the neo-conservative brand but not a clear knowledge of to what it referred let alone where it came from. I found the book to be both interesting and instructive. I had noticed Mr. Wattenberg while channel-surfing but had never settled in to watch his television show. I wish I had. The book gave insight into Washington, some of its recent history, but more importantly into a viewpoint too often dismissed. I heartily encourage others who are seriously looking to understand the spectrum of political views to include this in your reading list.

[Bob Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wattenberg's book comes across as he does on TV - knowledgeable, likeable, and drily humorous with a sometimes choppy delivery. He is a longtime neocon who seems to truly regret a Democratic Party that is lost to him.



As a participant and observer since LBJ's administration his book maintains your interest.



... and Wattenberg does have wit - referring to the European Union as a 'theme park' is chuckle-worthy and dead-on.

[The American Conservative]

'Ben Wattenberg is an engaging television commentator and by almost all accounts a nice guy. But if Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism is the best in post-Iraq War neoconservative apologetics, the movement is in far more trouble than the defeat of John McCain would suggest.'

Read the full review, "Right-Wing Liberal," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...