dagblog - Comments for "Romney and His Ugly Randian Candidacy"

AD. Thanks for the blog and

Bruce Levine — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:34:45 +0000

In reply to Romney and His Ugly Randian Candidacy

AD.

Thanks for the blog and for recommending Miller and Lapham's book. I look forward to reading it. In one of my very close circles I come across the Randian view quite a bit, and I have about a gazillion anecdotes. As just one example, I recently met a very close friend of the "family" who, having heard I was a union attorney and after the inevitable lecture about unions once being important, but now blah, blah, blah lecture, turned to me, looked me in the eye and solemnly declared. . ."Don't you understand Bruce, where would we be without rich people?" And she was serious, and everyone around her nodded their heads and looked at me as if I had two heads for not understanding this essential truth.

They come to believe this stuff AD; they really and truly do. Of course, the reality is that many of them run as, support, and vote for Democrats. But that's another story, nay saga!

Hope all is well with you and your family. So nice to see you blogging.

Bruce

Shlapentokh efficiently

moat — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 01:43:37 +0000

In reply to Three links to items related

Shlapentokh efficiently illuminates the contradictions between Rand and any sort of democratic polity.

I think what is alluring to people who know they will never live like the giants in her books is that the point of view renders the reader's sensations of isolation and emotional poverty into a virtue expressing strength and self reliance. There is some kind of psychological alchemy involved here.

The chemistry has a direct influence upon how class identity works. Coded language and knowing nods keeps the thing going.

Three links to items related

AmericanDreamer — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:04:07 +0000

In reply to Romney and His Ugly Randian Candidacy

Three links to items related to the topic of this thread:

"Executive Excess 2011: The Massive CEO Rewards for Tax Dodging", Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Scott Klinger, Sam Pizzigati, Institute for Policy Studies, August 31, 2011:

http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/executive_excess_2011_the_massive_ceo_rewards_for_tax_dodging

"The Business Case Against Overseas Tax Havens", Chuck Collins, The Huffington Post, posted July 20, 2010:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chuck-collins/the-business-case-against_b_652832.html

"How is Elitist Ayn Rand a Tea Party Hero? The Contradiction Should Concern America", Vladimir Shlapentokh, Christian Science Monitor, October 14, 2010:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1014/How-is-elitist-Ayn-Rand-a-tea-party-hero-The-contradiction-should-concern-America

Thanks. I got it.

Oxy Mora — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:23:42 +0000

In reply to I was thinking more of folks

Thanks. I got it.

I was thinking more of folks

AmericanDreamer — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:14:42 +0000

In reply to Right, but I'm not sure about

I was thinking more of folks who are not wealthy but who are drawn to or embrace the Randian/GOP view of the world, folks who don't have nearly the wherewithal to wall themselves off from the unpleasantness, the ugliness, the misery, the decadence, the sheer differentness of these Others, these unworthy Claimants who so stubbornly refuse to be Normal, and American, and all other obviously good and right and true things.

Right, but I'm not sure about

Oxy Mora — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:46:37 +0000

In reply to Thks--yes, that is rich,

Right, but I'm not sure about their bubble existence. Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn't like to live like that, comfortably excluding all those who I think are different. Seems to me, as far as the 1% is concerned, they're pretty happy. Then I see someone I think I can help, and try to do so. Maybe it's a psychological deficit.

Thks--yes, that is rich,

AmericanDreamer — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:12:41 +0000

In reply to This remark could be

Thks--yes, that is rich, coming from Ann Romney. The scary thing is that there are so many of our fellow citizens who appear to have bought into the Randian and contemporary GOP overlapping narrative about who and what our country's real enemies are. Their dominant emotions are pathologically negative, consisting of fear, mistrust, or hatred of large groups of Others--The Media, The Liberals, The Democrats, The Colored People, The Gays and Lesbians, The Immigrants, The Feminazis, The Criminals, The United Nations, The Anti-Gun Crowd, The Bloodsucking Poor People, Foreigners, The Muslims, The Arabs, The French...on and on. Basically, pretty much everyone perceived as "not me and my kind".

It strikes me as a such a cramped, fearful and unappealing kind of existence that it must be extremely difficult to carry on one's daily affairs.

This remark could be

Oxy Mora — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:40:20 +0000

In reply to Romney and His Ugly Randian Candidacy

This remark could be considered Randian. Ann Romney has just said (quoting from Huff Post) "we've given all you people need to know (about family finances?).

Now we most likely know where the buck stops in the Romney Presidency run and the issue of tax returns. This lady is drawing the line. Losing is not as bad as having country club friends, and the gardeners, plus the entire base of the Republican party, screw the pundits also, including Perry, et.al., this has got to stop somewhere,---having all you (little) people know how rich we are, what our income tax rate is.

Stray thought. Mitt Romney:

AmericanDreamer — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:53:21 +0000

In reply to Romney and His Ugly Randian Candidacy

Stray thought.

Mitt Romney: Not Ready for Prime Time.

Who'da thunk?

Thanks, Dreamer. Heard about

Oxy Mora — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:44:55 +0000

In reply to Thanks, oxy--your two

Thanks, Dreamer. Heard about Sununu's remarks, and also Glenn Hubbard who was soft-balled on Bloomberg yesterday. Got to thinking if you put all these former Bushies together, it's an OLD crowd. Out of touch might be more descriptive than we think.