Leo Strauss and His Adherents in the Bush Administration

[The Whiskey Priest]

Strauss was a faculty member of the University of Chicago. Part the philosophy he developed was based on the “philosopher king,” the concept that is there are elites that have a right and duty to lead a nation. Among the things that Strauss advised the philosopher kings to do was to lie, because the people could not handle the truth.

That has bothered me since the start of the build up to the Iraq war, because many of the players in that build were adherents and students of students of Strauss. William Kristol, the father of the neo-conservative movement is an avoid Straussian, so is Paul Wolfowitz. If you recall it was Wolfowitz who said of one of the reasons to go to war, “WMD just a convenient excuse for war.”

How can we trust a government where the members of the government believe it is their duty and right to lie to us, because we cannot handle their truth.

[marbuc]

1. The Straussian web reaches even further than you might think

Abramoff is a Straussian, as are many of the minions in the WH, especially those that came from the Reagan WH. And of course you knew about Libby.

[Stephanie]

3. yes it's very conveeenient to have a philosophy that tells you to lie

Strauss also advised that the ruling elite could lie to the KING, if they wanted

[marbuc]

7. Strauss's philosophies were/are extremely Machiavellian

which explains the Neo-con slash and burn policies. The ends justify the means, ya know?

[bluedawg12]

19. And Manachean, good v evil. things are in black or white.

it's a lot easier for the masses to have only two options than to sort out nuance.

[Karenina]

17. Chalabi too.

:puke:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Politicians lie?!!?? I am deeply shocked.

Alas, it's not limited to the students and admirers of Strauss. It seems to be in the genes.

[Mr_Spock]

4. Strauss - king of the neoCON movement.

Amazing how completely the neocons have followed his "cookbook" for power. It works, but many in this country are too smart for this sort of leadership. Too bad we our a nation with a predominate population of sheeple.

[BrotherBuzz]

21. The Strauss 'cookbook' was lifted from the Nazi 'blueprint'

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." -- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials


The quote cited above does not appear in transcripts of the Nuremberg trials because although Goering spoke these words during the course of the proceedings, he did not offer them at his trial. His comments were made privately to Gustave Gilbert, a German-speaking intelligence officer and psychologist who was granted free access by the Allies to all the prisoners held in the Nuremberg jail. Gilbert kept a journal of his observations of the proceedings and his conversations with the prisoners, which he later published in the book Nuremberg Diary. The quote offered above was part of a conversation Gilbert held with a dejected Hermann Goering in his cell on the evening of 18 April 1946, as the trials were halted for a three-day Easter recess:
We got around to the subject of war again and I said that, contrary to his attitude, I did not think that the common people are very thankful for leaders who bring them war and destruction.

"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

[bluedawg12]

5. This is the real elitism

The idea that there are intellectual elites, rulers aka aristocracy (degenerate and stupid?), and then "the masses" aka serfs and peasants, hearkens to an early 20th century pre-Russian revolution model.

This is the end justifies the means politics. It would work if it were true that the masses in America need to be led like sheep, and if it could be guaranteed that the intelligentsia would always be altruistic and benign. Still, it sounds a lot like what happened in Russia after the revolution. intellectuals doing whatever it takes to rule, large masses used for political fodder, and double speak the language of the politicians. It does not sound too American to me.


http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtml?title=Leo_Strauss

>Shadia Drury of the University of Calgary, author of 1999's Leo Strauss and the American Right, says "Strauss was neither a liberal nor a democrat... Perpetual deception of the citizens by those in power is critical (in Strauss's view) because they need to be led, and they need strong rulers to tell them what's good for them. .. The Weimar Republic (in Germany) was his model of liberal democracy for which he had huge contempt," added Drury. Liberalism in Weimar, in Strauss's view, led ultimately to the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews<

[Stephanie]

8. also that these elites are self-selected

and in fact they're not all that bright - all their plans have FAILED

[bluedawg12]

11. Stephanie- not kidding! LMAO. They are so smart that

their convoluted plans fail.

My pet cats had an inkling that ruling and occupying a middle eastern country surrounded by Islamic states such as Iran, and others that are a hot bed for wahhabism, was bound to run into a snag or two when a western crusader nation invaded and tried to bring western values and governance to them. No kidding, my cat knew that and hadn't even read Strauss yet.

[The Whiskey Priest]

13. LOL Your cat was smarter than the source of most of the Intel

Feith was taking a lot of Intel from Curve Ball, who had been declared an alcoholic and liar by the CIA.

[happydreams]

22. Predators don't make good protectors, adminstrators.

They are great at blowing things up but not putting things back together. As somebody said: any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.

[bluedawg12]

26. happydreams- you just described dictators.

Mussolinin, Stalin, Hitler, all predators leading the masses during times of percieved weakness, they destroyed their own people.

The about America is we are supposed to be strong, independent, rugged individualist yanks.

When the hell did we start bowing to prancing ideologues?

Americans kneel to no man.

That was our strength. Not following like sheep, getting fleeced, and shorn and sent to slaughter.

We are supposed to have a questioning, unruly, pioneer spirit.

We have been sold by the best of them, not politicians, but the people who read our minds and told us what we want to hear even when the facts did not support it.

We followed a shirker in the name of patriotism and turned away from a real war hero for speaking truth.

Propaganda is king is the land of sound bites.

[The Whiskey Priest]

15. Have read her book

Found it very useful in explaining the philosophy and its fault, as if they were not self-evident.

[Opusnone]

6. Now we know the problem, what is the solution?

Neocons have taken over the government.

Their sycophants do the bidding and brainwashing, they loot and pillage.
Machiavelli would be proud. It will take years and years for the Democrats, republicans or any political party to undo the damage that their failed policies are causing.

Too many crusaders, not enough pragmatists. Strategy, knowledge, realism and logic will conquer over blind obedience, manifest destiny and divine providence.

[bluedawg12]

18. I am not sure we really even know the problem, yet.

It's not clear to me why the RW had to make such a pitch for power to the point of bringing this nation to the brink of ruin?

Money? they had it.

Power? had that too.

Oil? hell, two oil men are in the WH.

What is driving this disparate coalition of so called rightwingers to do the things they do? BTW- to even do the things that conservapig dogma condemns- a big deficit and nation building and social engineering.

[The Whiskey Priest]

20. A couple thoughts on this question

Power is good, more power is wonderful, and all powerful is to be a God.

Secondly, the rich and well-to-do have everything, but they long for most then is a parade.

As for the deficit, that is a Norquest Libertarian idea, bankrupt the government and there can be no government. Now, what comes next has always been a question for me. I suppose it shall be everyman against everyman....sort of a free-for-all, no hold barred.

[bluedawg12]

25. The Whiskey Priest- you said it, what's next for these idiots?

What long range plan, for the next 30, 30 or 40 years do they envision?

Perpetual war? Even they won't have a land to live in.

Armageddon? Naw, can't believe that Cheney and Rummy and Wolfie buy into that stuff. They are secular men.

I think they had a very simple short sighted goal. Iraq was to be a cake walk, and then a military presence in the ME on a permanent basis, a US friendly regime to shove in the nose of Iran, a sweet heart oil deal with the new puppets like Cha-liar-be, and then root out the evil doers, maybe even bring the house of Oil, err...saud, into line.

We would look like the bringers of freedom, noble, free and an inspiration.

The whole thing seems to have hung on manipulation of the American people- who after 9-11 had blood lust. The neocons also got some bad intel that we would be welcomed and were self delusion that we would be trusted by people who have been taught not to trust us.

it seems like such a dumb plan A, and then there was no plan B!

[Warpy]

9. Call the old bastard what he was: NEOFEUDALIST

I can't think of any other name that fits. The shortsighted, arrogant, igorant old coot was an anachronism, at best.

Nobody outside the upper class is going to take that asshole's stuff seriously, which is why we need to eliminate the upper class from our government while we can.

[Flubadubya]

14. "while we can...."

I hope there still as a "while we can". Some say it's already too late. :shrug:

[Stephanie]

10. more info here >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=110&topic_id=80&mesg_id=80

[hatrack]

12. And then they wonder why they are not believed - brilliant.

Kind of a hole in the Straussian "logic", wouldn't y'all agree? :eyes:

[bluedawg12]

16. Here's another elitist relic from the 20th century

just learned about this guy on DU today. the nephew of Freud was the father of group mind f*ck...err...public relations. Today's heirs are psy ops and media managers such as written about in Rolling Stone recently.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country....

In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons ...
who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.
showed the flaw in Bernays's claim that "manipulation of the masses" is natural and necessary in a democratic society.

The fascist rise to power in Germany demonstrated that propaganda could be used to subvert democracy as easily as it could be used to "resolve conflict."

.........

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/8798997?pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single7&rnd=1132271793151&has-player=true


The Man Who Sold the War
Meet John Rendon, Bush's general in the propaganda war
By JAMES BAMFORD

[alfredo]

23. So a Dim-witted Calvinst has surrounded himself with a bunch

of Straussians?

Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[no_hypocrisy]

24. Does this mean this stuff will blow over in a generation when the "alum"

of Leon Strauss have retired and/or become disabled?

[marbuc]

27. One would hope

But these type of philosophies tend to spread like a virus. Many in the Straussian crowd have no direct ties to the man at all, but are disciples of alums, friends, etc. Leo Strauss is a hero of the conservative movement, and I don't see his influences fading any time soon.