Neoconservative politics and the Supreme Court : law, power, and democracy

In This Concise, Timely Book, Constitutional Law Expert Stephen M. Feldman Draws On Neoconservative Writings To Explore The Rise Of The Neocons And Their Influence On The Supreme Court. Neocons Burst Onto The Political Scene In The Early 1980s Via Their Assault On Pluralist Democracy's Ethical Relativism, Where No Pre-existing Or Higher Principles Limit The Agendas Of Interest Groups. Instead, They Advocated For A Resurrection Of Republican Democracy, Which Declares That Virtuous Citizens And Officials Pursue The Common Good. Yet Despite Their Original Goals, Neocons Quickly Became An Interest Group Themselves, Competing Successfully Within The Pluralist Democratic Arena. When The Political Winds Shifted In 2008, However, Neocons Found Themselves Shorn Of Power In Congress And The Executive Branch. But Portentously, They Still Controlled The Supreme Court. Neoconservative Politics And The Supreme Court Explains How And Why The Neoconservatives Criticized But Operated Within Pluralist Democracy, And, Most Important, What The Entrenchment Of Neocons On The Supreme Court Means For Present And Future Politics And Law. -- Book Jacket. 1. Reagan, Cross-pollination, And Neoconservatism: An Introduction -- 2. From Republican To Pluralist Democracy : Republican Democracy ; The Practice Of Pluralist Democracy ; The Theory Of Pluralist Democracy -- 3. Pluralist Democracy: Dissent And Evolution : Émigré Dissenter: Leo Strauss ; The Evolution Of Pluralist Democracy ; The Mass-consumer Culture And Democracy ; The Proliferation Of Interest Groups ; Interest Group Sclerosis -- 4. On Neoconservatism : The Rise Of The Neocons ; Neoconservative Principles And Policies ; The Inherent Instability Of Pluralist (liberal) Democracy ; The Attack On Relativism ; Resuscitating Republican Democracy ; Neoconservative Domestic Policy ; Neoconservative Foreign Policy ; Neoconservative Constitutional Theory ; Neoconservative Successes And Failures -- 5. The Supreme Court And Neoconservatism : Congressional Power Cases ; Equal Protection Cases ; First Amendment Cases ; Free Expression And Education ; Free Expression And Religion ; Establishment Clause ; Counterfactual Cases ; Substantive Due Process ; Foreign Policy ; Campaign Finance -- 6. The Supreme Court In The Future : Neocons Empowered ; What's A Progressive To Do? Stephen M. Feldman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 207-211) And Index.