Hey Jim, in order to find the short videos you guys do, is there a place on the site they are listed like they used to be on Morning Shots, or do I have to go to YouTube alone to find them...I didn't see an icon for them on the site, am I missing something?
I believe Rand was a fanatical believer in facts and absolutes. Anyone linked to Trump has rejected Rand just on that basis alone. Trump could not pick a fact out of a one-man lineup. As parasites on the government and its taxpayers to enrich themselves, that might be a major penalty flag thrown by Rand on some of their activities. They win the innovator and wealth creation prizes (Musk and the PayPal Mafia - not Trump), but then they go against much of her philosophy. They also are allied with Christian Nationalists and Evangelical extremists. I thought that was a Rand no-no?! They are mostly allies of the God Squad for voting blocs and may not be true believers, but she might go thumbs down on tapping that poison vein of holy war hate.
About musk's definition of "traitor," it seems to me that it would apply to him better. But there is a problem of definition. If you aren't a member of an organization, can you betray it? Musk's US citizenship was obtained fraudulently because his original visa, a student visa, was fraudulent because he never enrolled in any educational institution so he can't be considered an American. So is he a traitor or just a member of the fascist fifth column?
big fan of the recent changes to the bulwark, swapping daily overtimes for weekly and adding more content throughout the week - if this frees up Jim for more podcasts, that would a bonus (a few years ago he sat in for Charlie and did a top-notch job interviewing Sen Danforth)
re MSNBC article: "As Trump sees it, sacking the Capitol in the attempt to overturn a free and fair election earns you freedom and presidential accolades, while vandalizing or disrupting a Tesla dealership could get you imprisoned as a terrorist." -> see my favorite new rapper: https://youtu.be/ziewzSkeJr4?si=8zpQgPXKDWff5Guc
Hi Jim, I really appreciate your collecting all this in one weekly summary. The Mackinder quote was so weirdly spot on - thanks for sharing it. As a college and graduate student in part in the Reagan era, I read almost everything Ayn Rand wrote, but over the decades since I moved on from her philosophy. The lead article resurrected long forgotten memories of her characters, and i enjoyed the author’s take on why the current would-be oligarchs are absolutely not heroic Randian characters. Thanks to you and the Bulwark for all you are doing to try to save our country.
Americathon! Caught it late night on channel 5 in dc. Was, as they say, tripping balls. The next time I saw it I was stoned out of my gourd. Never seen it sober…
I read the Alex Finley story. Russia is not our friend and t***p's actions are a betrayal of America. I mailed him a postcard this morning telling him so. I hope a lot of other people did as well.
"whereby they could do anything they want to make as much money as they could, and as long as they gave to philanthropy, they would be regarded by the rest of society as heroes.”
Shades of Andrew Carnegie!
I was certainly an initially eager reader of Ms Rand’s works when I was in my early twenties, spurred on by my best friend who was a True Believer in Objectivism . I myself found Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead more interminable than enlightening. And although I could see her point, as Mr Crider describes it, I could not buy it. There was just a bit too much of Nietzsche’s Ubermensch inherent in her thinking. Coming, as she did, out of the birth pangs of collectivist Russia, that thinking was. perhaps, understandable.
These modern day Silicon Valley Trumpist billionaires strike me as little more than overgrown boys, like Trump himself, still trapped in an adolescent’s distorted vision of manhood, but not actually having achieved that status either emotionally or intellectually. A bit like the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, they are certain that they alone should be controlling the world but their vision is morally stunted and often blind to those around them or to the effects of their actions on others. This is certainly the case with Musk.
But as to Rand’s thinking, there is a well-known parallel, albeit very much shorter and very much less of the Ubermensche - Walter Lippman’s obituary/tribute to Amelia Earhart.
Never could get into Rand either (also disliked the Nietzsche Ubermensch tone)
Good points: "These modern day Silicon Valley Trumpist billionaires strike me as little more than overgrown boys, like Trump himself, still trapped in an adolescent’s distorted vision of manhood, but not actually having achieved that status either emotionally or intellectually. A bit like the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, they are certain that they alone should be controlling the world but their vision is morally stunted"
M. and T. seem like spoiled little rich boys, all grown up? Did they never have to wash their Daddy's car? Never had to mow the lawn or shovel the driveway?
As a barometer on how shallow, silly and dumb someone is self identifying as a follower of a middle brow hack writer turned cult leader for the undateable can’t be beat. Embarrassing.
For some reason, though I am a Bulwark+ member, when I click on the links to Bulwark articles, the comment sections are locked against me, saying I need a subscription. If I click on it, I am told I have to log in at the substack website. But I am always logged in there. I do not understand....
Elon Musk thinks he’s John Galt, when he’s really Elmer Fudd.
Hey Jim, in order to find the short videos you guys do, is there a place on the site they are listed like they used to be on Morning Shots, or do I have to go to YouTube alone to find them...I didn't see an icon for them on the site, am I missing something?
Never mind, it is the Bulwark+ takes right?...my bad...lol
I am a bit overwhelmed with all the content and want to see and read it all...lol
I believe Rand was a fanatical believer in facts and absolutes. Anyone linked to Trump has rejected Rand just on that basis alone. Trump could not pick a fact out of a one-man lineup. As parasites on the government and its taxpayers to enrich themselves, that might be a major penalty flag thrown by Rand on some of their activities. They win the innovator and wealth creation prizes (Musk and the PayPal Mafia - not Trump), but then they go against much of her philosophy. They also are allied with Christian Nationalists and Evangelical extremists. I thought that was a Rand no-no?! They are mostly allies of the God Squad for voting blocs and may not be true believers, but she might go thumbs down on tapping that poison vein of holy war hate.
About musk's definition of "traitor," it seems to me that it would apply to him better. But there is a problem of definition. If you aren't a member of an organization, can you betray it? Musk's US citizenship was obtained fraudulently because his original visa, a student visa, was fraudulent because he never enrolled in any educational institution so he can't be considered an American. So is he a traitor or just a member of the fascist fifth column?
big fan of the recent changes to the bulwark, swapping daily overtimes for weekly and adding more content throughout the week - if this frees up Jim for more podcasts, that would a bonus (a few years ago he sat in for Charlie and did a top-notch job interviewing Sen Danforth)
re MSNBC article: "As Trump sees it, sacking the Capitol in the attempt to overturn a free and fair election earns you freedom and presidential accolades, while vandalizing or disrupting a Tesla dealership could get you imprisoned as a terrorist." -> see my favorite new rapper: https://youtu.be/ziewzSkeJr4?si=8zpQgPXKDWff5Guc
Hi Jim, I really appreciate your collecting all this in one weekly summary. The Mackinder quote was so weirdly spot on - thanks for sharing it. As a college and graduate student in part in the Reagan era, I read almost everything Ayn Rand wrote, but over the decades since I moved on from her philosophy. The lead article resurrected long forgotten memories of her characters, and i enjoyed the author’s take on why the current would-be oligarchs are absolutely not heroic Randian characters. Thanks to you and the Bulwark for all you are doing to try to save our country.
Americathon! Caught it late night on channel 5 in dc. Was, as they say, tripping balls. The next time I saw it I was stoned out of my gourd. Never seen it sober…
I read the Alex Finley story. Russia is not our friend and t***p's actions are a betrayal of America. I mailed him a postcard this morning telling him so. I hope a lot of other people did as well.
"whereby they could do anything they want to make as much money as they could, and as long as they gave to philanthropy, they would be regarded by the rest of society as heroes.”
Shades of Andrew Carnegie!
I was certainly an initially eager reader of Ms Rand’s works when I was in my early twenties, spurred on by my best friend who was a True Believer in Objectivism . I myself found Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead more interminable than enlightening. And although I could see her point, as Mr Crider describes it, I could not buy it. There was just a bit too much of Nietzsche’s Ubermensch inherent in her thinking. Coming, as she did, out of the birth pangs of collectivist Russia, that thinking was. perhaps, understandable.
These modern day Silicon Valley Trumpist billionaires strike me as little more than overgrown boys, like Trump himself, still trapped in an adolescent’s distorted vision of manhood, but not actually having achieved that status either emotionally or intellectually. A bit like the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, they are certain that they alone should be controlling the world but their vision is morally stunted and often blind to those around them or to the effects of their actions on others. This is certainly the case with Musk.
But as to Rand’s thinking, there is a well-known parallel, albeit very much shorter and very much less of the Ubermensche - Walter Lippman’s obituary/tribute to Amelia Earhart.
Never could get into Rand either (also disliked the Nietzsche Ubermensch tone)
Good points: "These modern day Silicon Valley Trumpist billionaires strike me as little more than overgrown boys, like Trump himself, still trapped in an adolescent’s distorted vision of manhood, but not actually having achieved that status either emotionally or intellectually. A bit like the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, they are certain that they alone should be controlling the world but their vision is morally stunted"
M. and T. seem like spoiled little rich boys, all grown up? Did they never have to wash their Daddy's car? Never had to mow the lawn or shovel the driveway?
As a barometer on how shallow, silly and dumb someone is self identifying as a follower of a middle brow hack writer turned cult leader for the undateable can’t be beat. Embarrassing.
Ditto. My rule of thumb is “Anything ‘Randian’ is bunk.”
Enjoying the new Saturday morning Overtime. Also, l loved the Dukes/FCOJ reference - one of the greatest movies of all time! (Sonny may disagree)
Nice new format Jim, I like the round up of the weekly newsletters.
For some reason, though I am a Bulwark+ member, when I click on the links to Bulwark articles, the comment sections are locked against me, saying I need a subscription. If I click on it, I am told I have to log in at the substack website. But I am always logged in there. I do not understand....
Articles don't have comments. If you don't see a comment icon that has a number on it then nobody gets to comment
Another reason for creating a Bulwark app! The volume of content is outgrowing Substack!!