Is Ryan a neocon?

Reader comment on: Ryan's Kristol Lecture

Submitted by Harry Binswanger (United States), May 14, 2013 00:28

I've become sensitized to the danger posed by Neoconservaitives, of whom Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol were the leaders, by reading Bradley Thompson's eye-opening book, Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea. Neocons, he shows, are socialists, though masked by some conservative rhetoric about the means of achieving the socialist dream (or nightmare).

I wonder if Paul Ryan is a neocon? He praises Kristol, he discards the opposition of individual vs. government, which is fundamental, putting "society" in between. Neocons oppose individualism and the Enlightenment, seeking a kind of Platonic philosopher-kingship. Like Plato, they accept the idea of the "noble lie," and try to deceive their followers about what they actually hold (no, I am not a conspiracy theorist--this is the actual doctrine, as espoused by Strauss).

Ryan: "We want everyone to have a chance in life—a chance to be happy. And we're happiest when we're together. We want to be together. It's in our nature. We feel it in our bones."

I don't feel it in my bones. And when I read such "voluntary collectivism," I shudder.

Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing.

Comment on this item