Rules for Radicals?

Figured it would be instructive to compare and contrast between Saul Alinsky and Leo Strauss since Newt Gingrich seems to be obsessed with Saul for some odd reason. Newt Gingrich has made several references to Saul Alinsky linking his philosophy to Pres Obama. Now most folks from podunk town America have no idea who the hell Saul Alinsky or Leo Strauss actually are, let alone have any real connection to these folks philosophies of life.

In the 1930s, Alinsky organized the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago (made infamous by Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle for the horrific working conditions in the Union Stock Yards). He went on to found the Industrial Areas Foundation while organizing the Woodlawn neighborhood, which trained organizers and assisted in the founding of community organizations around the country. In Rules for Radicals (his final work, published in 1971 one year before his death), he addressed the 1960s generation of radicals, outlining his views on organizing for mass power. In the first chapter, opening paragraph of the book Alinsky writes, "What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away. Alinsky did not join political organizations. When asked during an interview whether he ever considered becoming a Communist party member, he replied: Not at any time. I've never joined any organization—not even the ones I've organized myself. I prize my own independence too much. And philosophically, I could never accept any rigid dogma or ideology, whether it's Christianity or Marxism. One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're right.' If you don't have that, if you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated. The greatest crimes in history have been perpetrated by such religious and political and racial fanatics, from the persecutions of the Inquisition on down to Communist purges and Nazi genocide.

Now, you could read over Saul's 13 points and compare and contrast with Pres Obama and, you would probably find that Mr Gingrich shares more of Saul's strategies than Pres. Obama. I thought about laying in all out with diagrams but, that would just flat bore the crap out of ya.

Now if we head on over to take a look at Leo Strauss we find some fascinating connections with Mr. Newton Leroy Gingrich.

Leo Strauss was born in 1899 and died in 1973. He was a Jewish scholar who fled Germany when Hitler gained power. He eventually found refuge in the United States where he taught political science at the University of Chicago. He is most famous for resuscitating Machiavelli and introducing his principles as the guiding philosophy of the neo-conservative movement. Strauss has been called the godfather of Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America.” More than any other man, Strauss breathed upon conservatism, inspiring it to rise from its atrophied condition and its natural dislike of change and to embrace an unbounded new political ideology that rides on the back of a revolutionary steed, hailing even radical change; hence the name Neo-Conservatives.



The father of neo-conservatism had many “spiritual” children at the University of Chicago, among them: Paul Wolfowitz and Abram Shulsky, who received their doctorates under Strauss in 1972. Harry V. Jaffa was a student of Strauss and has an important connection to Dominionists like Pat Robertson as we shall see below. However, Strauss’s family of influence extended beyond his students to include faculty members in universities, and the people his students taught. Those prominent neo-conservatives who are most notable are: Justice Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork, Irving Kristol and his son William Kristol, Alan Keyes, William J. Bennett, J. Danforth Quayle, Allan Bloom, John Podhoertz, John T. Agresto, John Ashcroft, Newt Gingrich, Gary Bauer, Michael Ledeen and scores of others, many of whom hold important positions in George W. Bush’s White House and Defense Department.

Yeah buddy, Leo was an interesting fella especially when you look at some of his core beliefs.

First: Strauss believed that a leader had to perpetually deceive the citizens he ruled.




Secondly: Those who lead must understand there is no morality, there is only the right of the superior to rule the inferior.




Thirdly: According to Drury, Religion “is the glue that holds society together.” It is a handle by which the ruler can manipulate the masses. Any religion will do. Strauss is indifferent to them all.




Fourthly: “Secular society…is the worst possible thing,” because it leads to individualism, liberalism, and relativism, all of which encourage dissent and rebellion. As Drury sums it up: “You want a crowd that you can manipulate like putty.”




Fifthly: "Strauss thinks that a political order can be stable only if it is united by an external threat; and following Machiavelli, he maintains that if no external threat exists, then one has to be manufactured."




Sixthly: "In Strauss’s view, the trouble with liberal society is that it dispenses with noble lies and pious frauds. It tries to found society on secular rational foundations."




Facinating! Fifthly sounds pretty familiar to recent historical events doesn't it kids?

Now you can take this all with a grain of salt and a shot of Cuervo but, it's safe to say I think Pres Obama is an abject failure if he's trying to follow the philosophies of either of these great thinkers in human history. Now Newt on the other hand seems to be doing a pretty good job with Alinsky but, is a stronger Strauss fan in my book.