Rick Santorum: ‘There’s no class in America’ (via Raw Story )
Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum attempted to shame Democrats for using socio-economic barometers like the term “middle class” during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. “When Republicans get up and talk about…
I guess Rick flunked sociology.
ReplyDeleteHey, but isn't he a Christian? Didn't Jesus say, ..."it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Mt 19:34 (NIV)
This super hypocrite has no limits to HIS SHAME,Santorum and push push in the G Bush are responsible for the bankrupt health care system. In return for millions in corporate campaign political contributions to Bush's second term run and Santorum, they pushed a law thru that put the medical benefits costs from GE to name just one on to the public dole, now these pieces of dung want to cut the public healthcare to the same unloaded retirees. Santorum should stick to his pork legislation of 6 million for the sheep.
ReplyDeleteIs Santorum saying that we live in a classless society? That's Marxist talk!!!
ReplyDeleteFrom my last Del Mar post:
ReplyDelete"Upon the relinquishment of these systems, both the Greek states and the republic of Rome again committed themselves to metallic systems, this time with open mints or private coinage ; the consequence of which was the gradual concentration of wealth in the hands of a few persons, a circumstance which powerfully assisted the downfall of the state."
This "concentration of wealth in the hands of a few persons" under the metals is what created and what Marx interpreted and termed as "class"...
Once this "class" gained control of the scarce physical metals, they gained unassailable "power" under that system, which is the system we had when Marx was studying and writing about what he was observing AT THAT TIME AND UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS...
Those conditions are NOW GONE.
Time to put the Marx books DOWN, they no longer apply...
The system we have now creates "class" so to speak via GOVERNMENT granted privilege... (get OVER IT libertarians...)
Santorum (lawyer) does not have the maths to be able to see this... he has no choice other than to believe what he reads and hears to know "how to think"...
rsp,
BTW, Santorium's device here "that's Marxism talk" is another false metaphor dispensed for the right-morons in the audience in order to keep them that way...
ReplyDelete"America has no class"
ReplyDeleteROFL
Not sure whether the comment is classy or classic. Probably both.
In any systemic analysis, you have to first establish the CONDITIONS...
ReplyDeleteThe CONDITIONS today are nowhere near the same as when Marx was observing society and writing about it...
If you want to design a lunar module, you can't just assume gravity is the same on the moon as on earth... F=ma still works but you have to establish 'a' for the conditions the system will be operating in... etc..
Marxian analysis has its historic place but is not applicable for today's conditions... it instead becomes a device usable by these idiots like Santorium here to mentally anesthetize the right-rubes...
rsp,
Matt, I think that is true of a rigidly Marxist analysis that doesn't take into consideration changes in historical context. But Marxians today adapt Marx and subsequent knowledge to contemporary context, as Kalecki did in his day, influencing the development of Post Keynesianism. It simply is not possible to model an economy without taking class structure and class power into consideration institutionally. Methodological individualism fails on this score, and the reason it perpetuates as an intellectual zombie is class interests promoting it.
ReplyDeleteI get your point Tom but its not like Marx invented the concept of indignation at the sight of economic injustice...
ReplyDeleteHe has his historic place as an accurate observer and documenter of the events of his day no quibble there...
But he is a 'lightening rod' of sorts and can be used by the right as a device for 'misdirection' if you will imo just like Santorium does here...
Today's problems are a direct result of govt designated favor on just certain portions of our society, not that a group of people gained control of precious metals...
Back in Marx day, the metal possessing cohort could even get govts to do their bidding as even govt had to "borrow the gold" so to speak... govt is under no such real constraints these days and any injustice logically is being promulgated directly by govt policy....this is the main point we should try to promote imo...
There is enough indignation at the sight of all economic injustice to go around without having to go to Marx today to get it and in the process skip over the part where we educate the public about what their real options are under the current arrangements (options that didnt exist in Marx's day...)
rsp,
The ironic thing about Santorum invoking Marx is that his grandfather and most of his relatives in Italy are ardent communists!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/11/rick-santorum-s-italian-family-speaks-out.html