The
anti-Rand hysteria continues. Every day we read about the specter of
Ayn Rand looming over America in the person of Paul Ryan. Michael Kinsley warns us that Ryan, the super-hero, has contempt for the common man. Bill Maxwell decries Rand's and hence Ryan's "staunch supporter of for-profit institutions" including private schools. Joseph Lazzaro suggests we look at Ryan's record to see his cruel Randian soul that's "nearly perfect in its immorality." For Stephen Marche, "Ayn Rand is really the tipoff" to Ryan's antiquated views. Spencer Critchely
scoffs disapprovingly that Rand wants "genius builders" to "triumph"
instead of looters (seriously, he says that!). And this is just the
commentaries over a three-day period.
Paul Ryan's youthful enthusiasm for Ayn Rand continues to fuel this hysteria, even though everyone knows that Ryan, a devoted Catholic, has long since moved on. Now that it is legitimate to explore the candidates' early philosophical influences, might we not consider Obama's intellectual background? His early Marxist infatuation should be examined with respect to its influence on his present policies. If we can speculate about Rand's influence on Ryan, there is no reason why we should reframe from exploring Marx's influence on Obama.
Obama, interestingly enough, has never repudiated his Marxist heritage or distanced himself from his communist background. John C. Drew remembers Obama as a "garden variety Marxist-Leninist" when he was a student at Occidental College. It was evident from Obama's steadfast belief in the inevitability of socialist revolution and his knowledge of Marxism that he had a strong background in radical thought.
Paul Ryan's youthful enthusiasm for Ayn Rand continues to fuel this hysteria, even though everyone knows that Ryan, a devoted Catholic, has long since moved on. Now that it is legitimate to explore the candidates' early philosophical influences, might we not consider Obama's intellectual background? His early Marxist infatuation should be examined with respect to its influence on his present policies. If we can speculate about Rand's influence on Ryan, there is no reason why we should reframe from exploring Marx's influence on Obama.
Obama, interestingly enough, has never repudiated his Marxist heritage or distanced himself from his communist background. John C. Drew remembers Obama as a "garden variety Marxist-Leninist" when he was a student at Occidental College. It was evident from Obama's steadfast belief in the inevitability of socialist revolution and his knowledge of Marxism that he had a strong background in radical thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment