When not condemning the poor and old to a life of never-ending misery, baggy-clothed fitness buff and fiscal sociopath Paul Ryan (R-P90x) is learning the hard way the perils of being an insufferable hypocrite, a walking contradiction, The Man.
Turns out not everyone appreciates Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan’s taste in music, namely Tom Morello, lead guitarist of Ryan’s self-proclaimed favorite band Rage Against The Machine, who says, “Paul Ryan’s love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades.”
Ryan claims that he likes Rage’s sound, but not the lyrics. Well, I don’t care for Paul Ryan’s sound or his lyrics. He can like whatever bands he wants, but his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to the one percent is antithetical to the message of Rage.
Perhaps Morello should change the band’s name to Rage Against Paul Ryan?
In an op-ed piece he penned for Rolling Stone, Morello likens Ryan’s admiration of Rage to New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s love of Bruce Springsteen and cult leader Charles Manson’s love of the Beatles in that both claimed to be fans of the bands, “but didn’t understand them.”
I wonder what Ryan’s favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of “Fuck the Police”? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!
Don’t mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta “rage” in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he’s not raging against is the privileged elite he’s groveling in front of for campaign contributions.
Or as Tom likes to say, Bull(shit) on Parade.
To which Rep. Paul Ryan responded by saying he was under the mistaken impression that the “Machine” in the band’s name was a NordicTrack, which clearly violates the GOP’s “No Foreigners Allowed” policy.
An honest mistake. Unlike, say, Paul Ryan!
[image via Rolling Stone]