Vivek Ramaswammy, Donald Trump, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson all have several things in common. What are they?
Before we get into that, let’s examine a couple of fundamental concepts that may, or may not set the stage for this comparison and contrast dialog.
First of all, every single civilization in recorded history has had a number, albeit, a small number, of identical moral precepts.
No society in human history has ever accepted that the unprovoked and unjustified taking of a human life was acceptable.
No society in human history has ever accepted the taking of an individual property or money against their freely given consent (except by the government in the form of taxes) as acceptable.
No society in human history has ever accepted the intentional use of deceit, deception or misinformation amongst its individual members as acceptable.
In short, no human society has ever accepted murder, theft, or lying as acceptable practices.
This is essentially where every human society begins their own particular divergence from each other. Beyond these three, the rest of every society and civilizations moral and ethical codes become increasing more abstract, even though usually codified within each society or civilization.
Judeo-Christian morals and ethics for example place a distinction on sexual behavior that many other historic civilizations did not. Judeo-Christian cultures rank adultery quite high amongst their unacceptable forms of behavior, likewise fornication and homosexuality.
Falling even further down the scale are other psychologically defined behaviors that are even more abstract. Greed, arrogance, gluttony, the very abstract nature of such behavioral traits makes them perniciously easy for the individual engaging in them to ignore and self absolve.
As such, every human society and civilization had different standards for these abstract moral or ethical behavioral characteristics. What was acceptable in one society, culture or civilization wasn’t in another.
Histories most notable and powerful individuals were usually judged by standards different than those of their less successful comtemparies.
The most successful individuals in history have usually been judged less by their adherence to the moral and ethical standards of their respective societies than by the things they actually accomplished. Which is to say, accomplish something extraordinary and a lot of what were otherwise considered sins tended to be ignored.
It is a very recent phenomena to judge historical individuals by the moral and ethical standards of the present age, rather than by the moral and ethical standards under which they actually lived.
Vivek Ramaswammy. Vivek is a first generation American born in Cleveland Ohio to immigrant parents from India. He is an uber successful billionaire and political activist. He made his money in the Biotech industry. Vivek recently made his announcement for a bid at the 2024 presidential nomination.
The political position he is staking out is, well, basically MAGA on steroids. He considers Donald Trump as the inspiration for his own candidacy. He agrees with Trump 75 or 80 percent, but feels that Trump isn’t aggressive enough in pushing back against the Deep State or the various Marxist organizations destroying America as the Founding Father’s codified it to be in the United States Constitution.
Vivek makes a very public profession of commitment to America’s founding documents. This is where the compare and contrast comes in.
Western civilization has as its predication Judeo-Christian morals, ethics and principals. Amongst the most powerful and profound of those principals is that every individual is held to two simultaneous standards.
First, the individuals public assertions regarding acceptable morals, ethics, and principals.
And second, what they actually do in their public and private lives.
Those, like Vivek Ramaswammy, Donald Trump, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson tend to be more aggressively scrutinized by the public than the less successful amongst us.
All four of these men were uber successful during the periods of their private lives. No individual achieves the levels of success they achieved without being profoundly driven to do so. Driven to the point of ruthless ambition as it were.
In other words, to take away all the sweeteners and lay it bare, Greed, Arrogance and Deceit in perhaps somewhat equal measures. They wanted what they wanted and fought like hell to get it.
I dont really have to say much about Trump, Washington or Jefferson. Who they were, or in Donald Trump’s case are is pretty well known to everyone at this time. Perhaps the less obvious character trait they shared in common was their Judeo-Christian heritage.
Vivek Ramaswammy on the other hand is fundamentally a Hindu. He attended Catholic School, but considers himself a Hindu. Which means that his fundamental moral and ethical foundation is not laid in the precepts of the Judeo-Christian faith.
Should this disqualify him from serving if elected as the President of the United States? No, it does not. But it does mean that when considering his moral and ethical standards and how they apply to his public assertions of morals and ethic when contrasted to his actual personal actions more scrutiny must be applied.
Vivek has made the public assertion that he believes that he has a valid and realistic chance to win both the nomination and the presidency itself. Such a public assertion is foundational to even making such an announcement. Who after all would take any candidate seriously who announced their intention to run while simultaneously stating that they didn’t think they had any chance of wining.
Public assertions verses private behavior.
Donald Trump, like both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson is so financially successful that he can make in his public life, and is supported by his private actions the assertion that he isn’t for sale. This is an assertion backed up by action. As such, it is viewed by the general public through the lens of Judeo-Christian morals and ethics.
Barack Obama made the public assertion to being a
Christian, then on multiple occasions slipped up and professed to be a Muslim. When examining Barack’s public assertions against his private and actual behavior it became abundantly clear his actual morals and ethics were Islamic in nature and not Judeo-Christian.
Islam for example, is a duel political and religious system where there is no space between religion and politics. They are one and the same. Unlike the Judeo-Christian prohibitions against deceit and manipulation for any reason, Islam considers deceit, manipulation and outright lying 100 percent acceptable when engaged in against infidels, anyone who isn’t a Muslim, for the benefit of Islam or any of its practitioners.
We saw and are even now living with the consequences of electing Barack Obama.
Joe Biden makes the public assertion of being a practicing Catholic. His behavior both in public and private makes it indisputable clear that he is no such thing. Again, we are living with the consequences.
A very large segment of the Democrat Party make the public assertion to being patriotic American’s, their very public and private behavior on the other hand makes it indisputably clear that their allegiance is not to the United States Constitution, but to the ideological tenants of Karl Marx.
So where does Vivek Ramaswammy fit into the picture? His public assertion is fidelity to the United States Constitution and the principals laid out by America’s Founding Fathers.
Personally, my suspicion is, that Vivek Ramaswammy’s intentions are to effect the direction of the Republican party. He asserts that he is MAGA PLUS, but feels Trump failed to adaquately address the corruption of the Deep State and the Swamp.
The Judeo-Christian scriptures say, as iron sharpens iron so is a mans countence by his friends.
So, with regards to Vivek Ramaswammy, let’s keep a close eye on him, see if his public assertions are matched by his actual actions. That said (you know, trust but verify) let the campaigning for 2024 roar. Trump will either raise to the occasion, or he wont. Having another strong conservative candidate in the race cannot hurt the Republican party and very well could move it in an even more conservative direction, and that would be a very good thing in my personal opinion.
Comparisons and contrasts.
Well written and thought out.
Now do DeSantis.
Deadeye