tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post709928498413636188..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: The Constitution Isn't Making the GOP CrazyJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-8769786930026213502011-07-05T17:49:05.359-05:002011-07-05T17:49:05.359-05:00Was thinking a bit about the "GOP off the rai...Was thinking a bit about the "GOP off the rails" meme with the two excellent July 4th threads, the political heroes one and the earlier one discussing private v. public happiness.<br /><br />I voted for Ben Franklin in the political heroes one, as his life is the archetypal one for conservatives, IMO. Following Professor Bernstein's construct of public v. private happiness, it is fair for a liberal to push back on an idealization of Franklin by noting that not everyone can have the discipline he did (and if those liberals knew me, perhaps they would point out that I myself lack such discipline), so as a result we need a social contract in addition to individual achievement. All well and good in a functioning American polity.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the GOP, the "individual achievement" side of the American balance, is not really a party of Ben Franklins anymore. It has been, IMO, poisoned by the pernicious influence of Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and the many negative ramifications therein. <br /><br />How is John Galt not like Ben Franklin? Franklin dedictated thousands of hours to many noble intellectual pursuits; we meet Galt in a cave, having to take Rand's word that he is really smart or something. Why is Galt in that cave? Because little losers were not grateful enough for Galt's intelligence (again, take Rand's word for it, its hardly demonstrated in the novel). WRT Franklin - imagine the hideous conceit of retreating to that cave!<br /><br />There once was a small-time self-help guru in NYC who wrote a book that eventually become the third-most read of all time, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Y'all remember Carnegie's insight, right? How to win friends? Its that everyone thinks they are really smart and sympathetic, even if they aren't, so to get along with others you have to treat them as being as intelligent as they think they are, not as stupid as you know them truly to be.<br /><br />Therein, IMO, lies the great catastrophic problem with the modern right. When the party of the "private" good reveres John Galt, a fictional character who didn't actually do anything other than run away when not indulged, rather than Ben Franklin, who brought it, every day of his life, in so many ways, then in a Dale Carnegie sense the door is opened for half-baked wannabes to assert their individuality while claiming status they have not earned.<br /><br />You know this if you read right-wing blogs, which are permeated with self-professed John or Jane Galts, folks whose lack of excellence would surely make Ben Franklin blush. You know this if you watch the right wing media, where populists like Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman, AMAZINGLY, hate accomplished people!<br /><br />Thanks for reading this far, I suppose I am mostly preaching to the choir, but this has been a pretty big insight for one disgruntled conservative.CSHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-89406760178895931932011-07-05T17:35:51.438-05:002011-07-05T17:35:51.438-05:00Off the rails? As you point out, the Lib-Con coal...Off the rails? As you point out, the Lib-Con coalition in Britain is pursuing austerity right now. If that's insanity, then I hope Obama follows their lead. In fact, he can do them one better by bringing home the troops immediately. Our debt-to-GDP ratio falls between Portugal and Greece right now -- it's time to get serious about this.<br /><br />If we had the British Parliamentary system, it's possible that the lack of primaries would have forced the tea party to become an actual party... leading to an unstable GOP-Tea Party coalition.Couveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00926561539205771774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-80535579982415842722011-07-05T15:38:42.957-05:002011-07-05T15:38:42.957-05:00I agree with your analysis on why the GOP has gone...I agree with your analysis on why the GOP has gone off the rails. Matt's post was just advancing is fantasy of turning the United States into a parliamentary republic, something that is highly unlikely. The problem is that GOP that is off the rails is GOP that can and will cause immmense suffering and pain to tens of millions or hundreds of millions of people inside and outside the United States. There needs to be something to get the GOP on the rails again and this needs to be implemented sooner rather than latter.Lee Ratnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139895689217213860noreply@blogger.com