Neoliberalism deliberately pairs moderate and hard-right positions to dominate debate

Evidence

One of the great success stories of the NTC has been its ability to keep close tabs on fellow travelers situated among the heathen, so when and if the crunch comes, they might end up controlling “both sides” of any momentous debate. As described in chapter 6, neoliberal politics is generally (at least) a full-spectrum procedure, wherein a neoliberal-inspired “amelioration policy” is frequently paired with a harder-right “market solution.” Think, for instance, of the American “insurance mandate” paired with full privatization of Medicare. Indeed, what greater guarantee of control of the parameters of intellectual possibility could follow an Ayn Rand acolyte than a good old fashioned Friedmanite monetarist? — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 506

Categorization

• XREF: Full-spectrum politics connects to Mirowski’s own ‘double movement’ argument in earlier chapters and to the general idea of ‘thought collective’ discipline spanning institutions. — connects to: Neoliberalism’s internal plurality is strategic strength, not weakness — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 1014; Neoliberalism operates from a unified playbook despite surface variation — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 917; Neoliberalism’s political strength partly derives from being poorly understood — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 81 (+2 more)
• DEEPTHINKING: The strategic logic that controlling both poles of a debate is stronger than winning one side is a dense, paradigm-shifting claim about how ideological hegemony works.

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism’s internal plurality is strategic strength, not weakness #corroborates (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1014
• Neoliberalism operates from a unified playbook despite surface variation #contradicts (0.75) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 917
• Neoliberalism’s political strength partly derives from being poorly understood #expands (0.70) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 81