Stealth conservative

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Stealth Conservative" is a term used to describe individuals or organizations that present themselves as progressive, liberal or moderate while using that status to forward a conservative agenda. According to journalist Laura Flanders:

"This is the new face of the radical right. The attractive right-wingers who talk about 'choice' and 'civil rights' pose a threat to progressives who support the federal government’s role as a protector of individual citizens.[1]"

Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed has openly advocated a policy of stealth politics by the right. In a March 1992 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Reed stated "It's like guerrilla warfare. If you reveal your location, all it does is allow your opponent to improve his artillery bearings. It's better to move quietly, with stealth, under the cover of night."

Stealth conservatives often frame their arguments in terms of ostensibly objective liberal legal principles such as "freedom of speech" and "freedom of expression" in order to cloak and promote explicitly right-wing policies. This is a popular tactic in obtaining popular support from political liberals who respond well to the language of liberalism but have not fully researched the power relations and practical policy outcomes involved in the particular issue at hand.

• Faludi, Susan. 1995. I’m not a feminist but I play one on TV. Ms. 5:30-39
• Article on "Anti-Feminist Feminists"