[Cacique]

I can contend that any description of Irving Kristol as a Trotskyite as late as twenty years ago when he was one of my professors in graduate school (he was teaching at NYU at the time)is absurd. I may add that during that time I was in the midst of my transformation from being a Stalinist, and I can assure you a Stalinist can spot a Trotskyite a mile away. Kristol at the time was no Trotskyite. If anything he was a rabid Conservative and Reagan supporter.

What distinguishes Trotskyites is a belief in that absurd concept that Trotsky had of instantaneous proletariat revolution. Trotsky believed that the working class would engage in a spontaneous revolution once it determined it's class interest. A concept directly at odds with that of Lenin and yes Stalin's concept of the necessity of a revolutionary vanguard made up of professionals leading the proletariat who is incapable of knowing it's class interest. The Trotskyite position was closer to that of Bakunin and the anarchists.

That Trotsky must share in the crimes committed by Lenin during the evolutionary phase from 1917 on-wards there is no doubt and it is naive to absolve him from such crimes in which in excess of a million people died.

That someone is an ex something or order does not make one something in the present tense unless he has committed a crime. In which case, a murderer is always a murderer but an ex-democrat or liberal (much like Reagan) remains an ex unless he digresses and falls off the wagon.

[nopardons]

Kristol was a Trotskyite in his college days. He's said so himself. He hasn't been one in so long, as to have been one before most, if not all of us on theis forum were born.

Otherwise, your post is 100% acurate.

[dennisw]

What distinguishes Trotskyites is a belief in that absurd concept that Trotsky had of instantaneous proletariat revolution. Trotsky believed that the working class would engage in a spontaneous revolution once it determined it's class interest. A concept directly at odds with that of Lenin and yes Stalin's concept of the necessity of a revolutionary vanguard made up of professionals leading the proletariat who is incapable of knowing it's class interest. The Trotskyite position was closer to that of Bakunin and the anarchists.

Did I know all this? No way! Neither do 95% of neo conservatives in America. They just agree with the neo conservative ideas and don't know jack (and don't care jack) about Trotsky. No way was Trotsky the communist killer some are making him out to be on this thread. He had blood on his hands but nothing like a Stalin Hitler Mao Lenin Pol Pot and whoever killed tens of thousands of Vietnamese after our Vietnam war

[TradicalRC]

Reagan wasn't really ex-anything: he stayed the same! He said that he never left the democratic party, they left him. (By going to the left of him, which is what it seems the neo-cons are now doing to the Republican party)

[Dr. Frank fan]

What distinguishes Trotskyites is a belief in that absurd concept that Trotsky had of instantaneous proletariat revolution.

Just like the "neo-cons"!!!1 /sarcasm

[newwahoo]

"I may add that during that time I was in the midst of my transformation from being a Stalinist, and I can assure you a Stalinist can spot a Trotskyite a mile away. "

Wow, you've come a long way baby...