Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romneyâs newly-minted running mate Paul Ryan once named Rage Against the Machine as his favourite band. But Rage guitarist Tom Morello doesnât want anything to do with the party.
In a scathing op-ed piece published on Rolling Stoneâs website, the 48-year-old musician slammed Romneyâs new VP pick, calling Ryan âthe embodiment of the machine our music rages against.â
âPaul Ryanâs love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing,â Morello wrote.
âCharles Manson loved the Beatles but didnât understand them. Governor Chris Christie loves Bruce Springsteen but doesnât understand him. And Paul Ryan is clueless about his favourite band, Rage Against the Machine,â Morello added.
Romney announced Ryan his running mate on Aug. 11, 2012.
Ryan has represented Wisconsinâs first congressional district since January 1999.
In his piece, Morello described Ryan as âthe Republican architect of Congressâs radical right-wing budget plan.â
The musician also fired this piercing dig at the 42-year-old politician from Janesville, Wis.
âDonât mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta ârageâ in him,â Morello wrote.
âA 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 heâs not raging against is the privileged elite heâs groveling in front of for campaign contributions,â he added.
The Grammy award-winning Morello has a history of outspoken activism, and recently advocated for a âRobin Hood Tax,â specifically a tax on financial institutions, to be levied on all financial transactions. The guitaristâs proposal was supported by such celebrities as actor Mark Ruffalo and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Morello also made news in April of 2012, when he called on 10,000 guitarists to join him for an Occupy Wall St. âguitarmy.â
Ryan has yet to denounce Morelloâs letter -- or officially take Rage Against the Machine off his playlist of favourite bands.
However, according to Morello, the bandâs musicâs and message has been lost on Ryan.
âMy hope is that maybe Paul Ryan is a mole,â Morello wrote.
âMaybe he'll throw U.S. military support behind the Zapatistas. Maybe he'll fill Guantanamo Bay with the corporate criminals that are funding his campaign -- and then torture them with Rage music 24/7. That's one possibility. But I'm not betting on it.â