Have a good chuckle. Besides his longevity and his hearty laugh, Neustadt's prolific career also included consultant to Robert Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, policy advisor to the leftist State Department and visiting professor at that age-old socialist hotbed, Oxford.
Also, policy advisor to the leftist Ford Foundation, professor at the leftist JFK School of Government, consultant to the Peace Corps, and he served several stints as member and consultant to the Democrat Party Platform Committee.
He received many awards from liberal organizations and collaborated closely in his activities with the leading socialist/leftist intellectuals of his time.
The fact that his close friend, socialist Robert Reichchchchchchch-uh, is quoted above for a mini-eulogy should be no surprise to anyone.
Neustadt attained stature in the highest socialist/DemoRAT/intellectual elite hierarchy of this nation. If he wasn't a covert socialist himself, as you apparently believe, I don't know how ducks walk, talk and look.
Leni
In a country that prides itself on free speech, there's something distasteful in the tendency of the extremes of both sides of the political spectrum to demonize or otherwise cut down their opponents.
One of the least attractive aspects of political debate is trying to reason with people whose idea of crushing repartee is to make fun of an opponents physical disability or appearance.
I place remarks about Mr. Reich's speech impediment and short stature in the same disgusing category as those about Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's--beneath contempt.
Neustadt was certainly a liberal (in the Scoop Jackson mode)but rather than argue the "birds of a feather" trope, I might note there are many of species of ducks with different characteristics--and the duck=goose=booby syllogism doesn't work any better than democrat=liberal=leftist=commie.