Archive for Obsessive Cognitive Dissonance

Ayn Rand’s Radical Defense of Economic Darwinism

Ayn Rand, the self-proclaimed radical and author of Atlas Shrugged was the ultimate purist, advocating uncontrolled, unregulated capitalism. She perverted Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” into her “virtue of selfishness” and defended an ugly dog-eat-dog economic Darwinism: The masses were servile and insignificant, government was invasive and usually malevolent.

Absolute objectivism, along with the rest of Rand’s arguments, may sway teens—a time when renegade individualism stirs the blood—but time and experience validates the social/political principles envisioned by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Adam Smith.

It was back in April when audio of Paul Ryan praising Ayn Rand first gained traction during a debate over the libertarian icon's influence on the conservative congressman. Paul Ryan dismissed the suggestion that he was fixated on the author an "urban legend." National Review ran an article called "Paul Ryan Isn't a Randian" aimed at "refuting the Left’s favorite charge against Paul Ryan." | Andrew Kaczynski, Buzzfeed

From Buzzfeed Politics

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Corporate emissaries in Washington out themselves by voting against DISCLOSE.

Government transparency at its finest… Read the article below to find out which Republican senators are moonlighting as corporate ambassadors to Washington.

From The Huffington Post

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Why aren’t more patriotic conservatives denouncing the reactionary ideologues?

Without the push-pull of ideas between liberals and conservatives, and the tempering role compromise must play, our nation would become a place that neither side would like. Unchecked conservatism becomes authoritarian and tyrannical, while extreme liberalism moves toward socialism, even communism.

So why aren’t patriotic conservatives denouncing the reactionary ideologues (like Beck, Bachmann, Palin, West) that now epitomize the GOP? They should applaud more thoughtful leaders like Reagan-appointee Judge Richard Posner who are willing to challenge entrenched interests on their team while vigorously debating the political opposition.

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Mitch McConnell gives us a quick lesson in cognitive dissonance.

Following Obama’s press conference last week, Senator Mitch McConnell gave a quick lesson on cognitive dissonance. Even though he admitted Bush-era tax cuts were not reinvested in the US economy and did not create jobs, he still called for MORE tax cuts!

Repeat after me, “Ideology is the science of idiots.”

From The Huffington Post

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Former FEC Chair Not Worried about Foreign Money in US Elections

This is certifiable insanity.

CPAC Panel: ‘Celebrate’ Citizens United Ruling
www.nationofchange.org  http://bit.ly/zNvrVZ
“Anonymous political speech. Foreign money in U.S. elections. The proliferation of super PACs. How grave a threat do any of things pose to American democracy? Not much, according to a panel of conservative attorneys, who gathered Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.”

“Brad Smith, the former chairman of the Federal Election Commission who co-founded the Center for Competitive Politics, said that he is “not frightened” by the prospect of Brits, Colombians or even Syrians spending money in the U.S. political process.
“I’m not that alarmed if foreigners [want to be involved in U.S. elections],” Smith said. “It doesn’t worry me.”

 

More OCD

Romney sings America the Beautiful off-key and brags of family trips through our national parks, then, without breaking stride, he questions the rationale for our public lands: http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/03/418141/romney-public-lands/.

[Ron Paul's just tone deaf: http://www.truth-out.org/print/12337]

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