Quote Originally Posted by Franconicus
Can someone help me please?
The American right wing is so confusing to a simple European.
What are:

Conservatives
Republicans
Neo-Cons
Religious Fanatics
Creationists
Think Tanks
Lobbiests
KKK?

What do they stand for? What is their influence?
You can be conservative fiscally (small, accountable gov't.) or socially (traditional, support family values and morals, etc.) Fiscal conservatives have been getting the shaft recently from Bush in his humongous budget.

Republicans, sometimes used interchangebly with conservatives, are those who vote republican and/or support that party.

Neo-Cons are more interventionalist in looking out for our nation's interests, the label is more in relation in how they think gov't should function to preserve America's role in the world. I'm not entirely sure of the definition, nor of how much power they have currently.

Religious Fanatics, by which I assume you mean fundamentalists since they are not fanatic, are those who hold a socially conservative view because of their religion, and tend to support the Republicans more since they are the more socially conservative party. While their turnout may have won the last election for Bush, their influence is not that great.

Creationists are those who believe in the literal, 7 day creation of earth, interpretation of the Bible. Not much of a force in politics, though the subject of creationism, intelligent design, etc., have become more prominent recently.

Think tanks are organizations whom I think exist just to think about issues and provide what they view as the correct solution. No connection to the gov't, both parties (and some groups) have them.

Lobbyists are those who are paid to talk to congressmen on behalf of their clients. Most, if not all, politically active groups have at least some.

KKK is the Ku Klux Klan. A racist, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant group, they supported the democrat gov'ts of the southern states after reconstruction ended. Negative (as in, you don't want them on your side) to nill influence.

Libertarians are those for a small gov't that stays the heck out of your business, and the libertarian party is also isolationist. They support gun rights, free speech, legal drugs, etc.

Crazed Rabbit