Trump impeachment commentaries, from Rand's endorsement of Nixon

[Wayne]

*** Split from Rand endorsed Nixon? ***

During Nixon’s second election, Ayn Rand declared herself to be an anti-Nixonite for Nixon.

 

In the run-up to the 1972 election, Ayn Rand wrote: "I am not an admirer of President Nixon, as my readers know. But I urge every able-minded voter, of any race, creed, color, age, sex, or political party, to vote for Nixon as a matter of national emergency. This is no longer an issue of choosing the lesser of two commensurate evils. The choice is between a flawed candidate representing Western civilization and the perfect candidate of its primordial enemies... If there were some campaign organization called 'Anti-Nixonites for Nixon,' it would name my position. ... The worst thing said about Nixon is that he cannot be trusted, which is true: he cannot be trusted to save this country. But one thing is certain: McGovern can destroy it.”

The Ayn Rand Letter July 31, August 14 & 28, 1972

Rand, to my knowledge, was always happy when Republicans won the presidency. To her mind she believed that the American people still believed in America’s founding ideas even though they did not understand them very well — the philosophical foundations of a free society. And Republicans were the better party in this regard.

Rand was objective about political realities. She knew that Nixon would be better for America. She would never imply in any way that the American people were irredeemable for supporting a candidate like Nixon. Nixon despite his flaws was patriotic meaning the he valued this country and wanted to do the best for America.

I cannot agree with commentators that believe Trump to be an “unprincipled pragmatic nationalist” and deserves to be not elected or impeached. I don’t see it. I agree with Rand in her position on Nixon.

Rand appreciated and understood America and the American people. Some people, in my estimation, do not really understand the American people.

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by dream_weaver

[softwareNerd]

2 hours ago, Wayne said:

Rand appreciated and understood America and the American people. Some people, in my estimation, do not really understand the American people.

How would you summarize "American people"?

[2046]

4 hours ago, Wayne said:

Rand, to my knowledge, was always happy when Republicans won the presidency.

Except when she opposed Reagan?

 

4 hours ago, Wayne said:

And Republicans were the better party in this regard.

But that's not what she said, is it?

4 hours ago, Wayne said:

Rand was objective about political realities. She knew that Nixon would be better for America.

But like, who cares? Your post is inventing reasons she never gave (her view was the assertion that Nixon stood for Western Civilization and McGovern did not.) That's not even an argument, it's an assertion. That's not objectivity, at least not in demonstrating reasons that would be able to convince someone.

Secondly your post is a giant appeal to authority. The fact that Rand supported Nixon doesn't mean Rand supported the Republican party or that one always should, or that even if she said "always vote Republican because they're real patriotic!" why that would be a reason for anyone to do anything, especially if you were inclined to to believe that Rand was wrong about supprting Nixon in the first place?

[Reidy]

Historical note:

Rand was more enthusiastic about Nixon in 68 than in 72. She endorsed him in the June Objectivist (which actually came out in the fall), mainly for his opposition to the draft and his support of the Anti-Ballistic Missile system. She also said that "spokesman for capitalism" would get a hearing in a Nixon administration. Presumably she meant Greenspan, who worked for Nixon's campaign at the time, though she didn't mention him by name.

[Eiuol]

18 hours ago, Wayne said:

I cannot agree with commentators that believe Trump to be an “unprincipled pragmatic nationalist” and deserves to be not elected or impeached.

You resurrected an 11-year-old thread to make a tangential comment about Donald Trump? 

[MisterSwig]

21 hours ago, Wayne said:

Rand, to my knowledge, was always happy when Republicans won the presidency.

This changed after Roe v Wade and the Republican Party adopted a pro-life/anti-abortion platform. Nixon hadn't made it an issue since he was elected before Roe v Wade. Plus, he was secretly in favor of some abortions.

Trump is as bad or worse than Reagan on this issue. Like Reagan, he promised to nominate pro-life Supreme Court justices. However, Reagan put Sandra Day O'Connor on the bench, and she upheld Roe. Trump's picks, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, are being tested now.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/us/politics/supreme-court-abortion-louisiana.html

Edited November 6, 2019 by MisterSwig

[MisterSwig]

22 hours ago, Wayne said:

I cannot agree with commentators that believe Trump to be an “unprincipled pragmatic nationalist” and deserves to be not elected or impeached.

This reminds me of a recent Trump rally that I watched on YouTube. He told the large audience that he was considering changing his campaign slogan for 2020 from "Make America Great Again" to "Keep America Great." Apparently he couldn't decide for himself whether America--with him now as President--is great or not, so he polled the crowd. He said each slogan and told the audience to cheer for which one they liked best. I'm not sure I've ever seen a clearer, more concrete display of an "unprincipled, pragmatic nationalist." That phrase sums him up perfectly. 

Edited November 6, 2019 by MisterSwig

[Dupin]

On 11/5/2019 at 6:19 PM, Wayne said:

Rand, to my knowledge, was always happy when Republicans won the presidency.

There were two exceptions, not that she wanted the Democrat to win, she just didn’t like the Republican.  First Eisenhower in the elections of 1952 and 1956 (his Democratic opponent in both elections was Adlai Stevenson).  She abstained from voting both times  She hated Eisenhower for allowing the Soviet army into Eastern Europe.  Second, Reagan in the election of 1980.   She didn't like him for his betrayal of Ford in the previous election, for his exaggerating the power of the Soviet Union, and for his support of a national (not just state by state) ban on abortion.

About Nixon, even in 1976 she said he was a “great improvement” over several earlier presidents “including Eisenthower.”  (1976 Q&A of Peikoff’s lecture series “Philosophy of Objectivism”).

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by Dupin

[whYNOT]

On 11/6/2019 at 1:19 AM, Wayne said:

 

I cannot agree with commentators that believe Trump to be an “unprincipled pragmatic nationalist” and deserves to be not elected or impeached. I don’t see it. I agree with Rand in her position on Nixon.

Rand appreciated and understood America and the American people. Some people, in my estimation, do not really understand the American people.

 

Rand also appreciated and understood the American "sense of life", which has taken a hammering lately.

(And anyone who's not fashionably cynical about his/her country today is a "nationalist").