Paul Ryan may love Rage Against the Machine, but the feeling is far from mutual. Lead guitarist Tom Morello compared the Republican politician's RATM fandom to Charles Manson's obsession with the Beatles.
Manson believed the Beatles were sending messages through their music, and that the song "Helter Skelter" was a signal to start a race war in America.
Morello's ridiculous hyperbole is a classic example of everything which is wrong with the current political climate in the United States. Comparing a sitting congressman to a psychopath who ordered the deaths of several innocent people is appalling. If the same remarks were made about a liberal politician, there would be outrage.
What is your opinion? Is it fair to equate the running mate of Mitt Romney with a cult leader?
According to Morello, Ryan has, "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."
The members of Rage Against the Machine make no secret of their communism and hatred of American values, so it's a bit of a shock to hear that the uber-patriotic Paul Ryan loves their music. Maybe, the Wisconsin Republican just doesn't listen to the lyrics?
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Comments: 23
Ryan may not be as demented as Charles Manson, but his budget and his views on various social issues certainly indicate that he's got a lot of "rage against" all the things Morello mentioned. Just because you wear a suit and speak in front of Congress doesn't mean you're not crazy or evil.
Yes, equating Ryan with Manson is over the top. But not as much as insisting for years against all evidence that Obama is not an American citizen.
And this remark is coming from a band whose entire persona is about making blunt and outrageous comments about many things. It didn't come from the Obama campaign or even one of the independent Super PACs in support of it.