r/neoliberal was created by and is astroturfed by a fossil fuel think tank called the Progressive Policy Institute, as part of their "Neoliberal Project"

PPI has been around since 1989 and views itself as Bill Clinton's "idea mill" aka think tank. Why I call them a fossil fuel think tank is detailed here. They oppose climate action, defend fracking, and receive donations from Exxon Mobil.

it's safe to say that their upvotes are farmed, and their organic support is mostly bourgeois economists and political science majors and interns who hope to work for PPI or a similar think tank one day. It's basically a Neera Tanden farm.

The creator of r/neoliberal, Colin Mortimer, is the Director of the Center for New Liberalism at PPI, which seeks to "develop a salient identity around the center-left values that have increasingly come under fire in this age of populism."

Never be surprised when an r/neoliberal poster seems "out of touch" as that is likely part of their job description.