So if we, you too, were debating Ryan.
Are you acquainted with Paul Ryan’s heroine? Ayn Rand she’s called. She said a lot, essays, novels, so-called philosophy of objectivism, wrote on the art of fiction, a wild essay on Victor Hugo, etc. Her mixed metaphors would give her trouble with a Freshman English teacher, where the burden is on the reader to so-called understand by supplying whatever meaning he can, or will, or wants.
Ayn Rand’s “philosophy” she calls “objectivism.” She made the word up. A good quick intro can be found at this link http://www.goodreads.com/...
The Hichens counter-quote is my favorite. “I have always found it quaint and rather touching that there is a movement in the US that thinks Americans are not yet selfish enough.”
Another quote link http://www.working-minds.com/... The quotes won’t stand scrutiny. One example: "Anyone who fights for the Future lives in it today." What the hell? Where exactly is this cloudy future? Is it on 4th and Vine? Is the future time not coming whether I want it to or not? A lot missing there. And then the follow-up that I can live in the future today. Really, now. I may fantasize such but it’s not like living in it, with regular bowel movements. Different. If we grant that we have an expression of “living in the future” does it simply mean that either we have Hope? that things will be different? Or that we avoid thinking of present things? So Ayn Rand says that we would be living there in a future time already. Really?. Christian’s hope for heaven, does he live there today as asserted by Ayn Rand, in a puzzling future that somehow is not in the future?
Your mind would have to be like a fog bank to find inspiration in Ayn Rand. Or like the minds of very young teenagers who live in a fantasy world anyway. They don’t know it. They’re not supposed to. Sadly, some never get out of that confusion. Illogic and mixed metaphors are no bother to them. Maybe teenagers are supposed to be selfish. But with a book called ‘The Virtue of Selfishness’ plus her novels, and her selfish ism Ayn Rand is a top in selfishness.
Check and see if you will, Ayn Rand finds success in amassing capital. The 1 per cent love that, as we see from Romney’s country club fundraiser video. Paul Ryan, he of continued tax breaks for the super rich, loves that also. No matter that the rich will try to pass all costs on, to me, and you. No art, ‘radical’ literature or Big Bird wanted since if you can get enough money you can buy all anyway.
Paul Ryan’s choice of Ayn Rand as heroine shows his selfishness, confusion and his chosen fantasy. That is to say, if he knows he chose, assuming he has some honesty like a teenager. But I suspect honesty with him may be irretrievable, he has named something else honesty.
So we have some pre-debate insight of how we will debate Paul Ryan in our living rooms, or wherever. Watch for his fog bank thinking and point it out to everyone. Watch for a lack of specifics. Watch for his substitution inserting the wrong specifics, or a mixed metaphor. Sometimes you will just have to say that’s wrong, not get tedious immediately. Correct facts. Go after him more if he gets defensive.
The overall impression we seek is that he is as selfish as a rattlesnake as thick as your arm and mean. I think it would not be acceptable to say rattlesnake everywhere only think it. Mean we could say. You can use your own style. We can keep key words handy to get them in somewhere on something. May not get to use them. Still, the debate should be fun, and for us, easy.
Oh, we may not get to mention Ayn Rand by name in the debate, as he has disavowed her at some point. Much like the Romney we saw, what he’s for, he’s not for.
Break a leg.