Ayn Rand And The 2012 Presidential Campaign
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-08-20/ayn-rand-and-2012-presidential-campaign
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate has brought new attention to the philosopher Ayn Rand. Paul Ryan says as a young man he was inspired by Ayn Rand's writing. In her novels “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead,” she described the virtues of private enterprise and the evils of government. Those ideas resonated with Ryan, and in a campaign video from 2009 he said, "Ayn Rand more than anyone else did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this to me is what matters most." Ayn Rand was also an atheist, and Paul Ryan has distanced himself from Rand's religious views. But Ayn Rand remains an intriguing figure in American political thought. Senior fellow Onkar Ghate of the Ayn Rand Institute, Slate political reporter David Weigel and Stanford history professor Jennifer burns join guest host Tom Gjelten to discuss her influence.
Guests
Onkar Ghate
senior fellow and vice president of intellectual leadership at the Ayn Rand Institute.
Jennifer Burns
assistant professor of history at Stanford University and author of "Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right."
David Weigel
political reporter for Slate.
Comments
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@IndieLady7
Oh, only if it were selfishness. Selfishness is being selfish for me, myself. (And you for yourself.)
Rand's gestalt has been mutated by our right wing and our mainstream press into some weird kind of sci-fit aesthetic which says "Working class people have to be selfish not for themselves but for the tax rates of the biggest corporations and richest individuals in the country."
It's practically serfdom in the name of one's liege, without quite so much kneeling as one's lord passes by. And they, every Joe the Plumber who doesn't get pimped out with a book contract, gets to imagine they're playing on a level playing field with the Kochs and Adelsons, rather than just getting played.
So, are you implying that the middle class or the working class is selfish? Please excuse the peroxide moment, but I'm trying to understand your statement.
Rand was born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum .1905 to 1982
A Sociopath who Conservatives idolize. I don`t know why.Died broke while on Medicaid and Social Security.She didn`t believe in God.The only quality she displayed was HYPOCRISY.
The business entrepreneur Dagny Taggart,who wants to build a railroad in Atlas Shrugged,is a good example. Bureaucratic politicians block this enterprising patriot.But what does real life look like? Bureaucratic politicians block the building of high speed rail,but not by an entrepreneur,but blocking our own government`s effort to build it.......Redeeming quality?.....Lots and lost of fairy dust...
from a column by David Harsani:
For the casual Rand fan, it’s the rigid and idealistic conviction about individual freedom and capitalism that is most seductive. For ardent detractors, people who believe that compassion and charity are best meted out by economic systems and government policy, this is depravity. Ayn Rand believed that individuals have the moral responsibility for their own actions. In free will.
All of which, of course, would matter if anyone bought the contention that those who embrace one notion of a philosopher are on the hook to embrace all of the philosopher’s notions. Are those who admire Isaac Newton now impelled to believe in alchemy? Is anyone who enjoys Richard Wagner now an anti-Semite? Are all those who believe that wealth should be more “fairly” distributed by the state slouching toward Marxism ... Oh.
And why aren’t we focusing on more contemporary cases of guilt by intellectual association? You will remember that the mere mention of the president’s pastor or his academic roots or his graduate work or his reading material or his testimonial dinners to terrorist apologists were irrelevant to the man. This administration has put together an all-star team of Malthusian nuts, truthers and Mao-quoting czarinas and czars, yet that doesn’t mean a thing. But The New Republic can laughably claim that the heart of Rand’s ideology “has become the central focus of both modern conservative thought and Republican policy-making.”
Helpfully, the left has spent years pulling passages and alerting us to the bizarre habits of this strange lady. Personally, I enjoy reading about her more than I do reading her work. There are those authors and intellectuals who are so thoroughly odious that they must be completely dismissed. That’s understood. But if those on the left are intent on making that case, they should stick to the real reasons they dislike her. Then smear away.
I remember reading Ayn Rand when I was teenager. Her message was so clear, so forthright, so straight-forward and simple. I truly believed she was so right on. I was perplexed and confused as to why things weren't the way she said they should be.
Now, when I hear politicians citing her as a foundation for their thinking - and budget proposals for heaven's sake...I cringe....I ask: when will these people grow up?
One should be very cautious of people that frame an argument in the form of fiction. They can alter events, personalities, and thoughts so as to bias their perspective. Anyone that follows Rand's "Objectivism" knows that it is far from objective.
EDIT: I also love this anonymous quote: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."
EDIT 2: Is this a joke? "intellectual leadership at the Ayn Rand Institute" There is nothing "intellectual" about Rand or her ideas.
@IndieLady7
Maybe I edited my words down to too short an entry. I'm not saying either the middle class (that's me) or working class are selfish. I think you and I are thinking along the same lines.
What Randians and the press sell as "selfish" means "the rich get to be selfish for themselves" whereas the rest of us have to worry about the rich's tax rates.
I'm saying it's amazing that Rand's ideas are pretty much science fiction. Part of that science fiction is how people in the working class (like Joe the Plumber's Little Helper) are held up by our mainstream press as people who have to worry about the top marginal tax rate, that that's the one thing standing between ordinary John Does' income and the income of a Bill Gates.
Millions of people like Joe the Plumber don't have a decrepit grandma wheezing to death in a back room, thanks to Medicare and Social Security, and the GI bill, and tons of other things that our right wing used to at least pay lip-service to maintaining. And that makes life for people like Joe the Plumber a lot easier, not that anyone will ever call him on it.
Tangentially, this plays into the whole meme of "class warfare" as something only non-rich people do to the rich.
Is it not wildly ironic that someone like Paul Ryan, who espouses to follow the philosophy of Ayn Rand, which is explicitly anti-government, not only a life-long politician but a member of the religious right?
Ayn Rand was quite prescient in predicting that an oppressive, centralized government will force capitalists to go on strike. As laid out in Atlas Shrugged decades ago, capitalists are now slowly going on strike due to a command and control federal government's suffocating businesses with regulations and high taxes.
1. Businesses have over $1.5 trillion of profits kept overseas due to the U.S. exorbitant corporate taxes and have no intentions of repatriating those profits back to the U.S.
2. Businesses are hiring more employees overseas and outsourcing more jobs overseas due to a more friendly business environment outside this country due to the anti-business regulations and high taxes in this country.
3. Banks are refusing to lend to qualified americans due to oppresive regulations in Dodd Frank. Banks are sitting on over $1.5 trillion of excess reserves that they could loan to qualified borrowers.
You appear to have nothing to worry about - this is shaping up to be a white wash of the vile world-view and hypocritical life of Rand.
To me, Ayn Rand is a classic libertarian. It is silly to try to separate her views on economic policy from those on personal freedom. If you buy her ideas that the market is king and we have to allow absolute freedom to individual entrepeneurs, you also have to accept her views against religion, in favor of free love and permitting women complete control over their bodies. You don't get to pick and choose.
You appear to have nothing to worry about - this is shaping up to be a white wash of the vile world-view and hypocritical life of Rand.
I didn't mention any names; that should be obvious. However, when one tries to characterize government as "evil", then the object with evil is to eliminate it. Governments aren't evil; they are a reflection of those who govern, and all too often, those who are governed.
And there are those who are more than willing to exchange what we have, as imperfect as it may be, for something else. And the "something else" could be far worse than what we have now.
So be careful what you wish for, your wish might come true. Just not in the way you thought it would.
On your facebook page Allen pointed out that Ayn Rand collected social security and medicare. Sounds like a socialist to me. Also the alleged fiscal conservative Paul Ryan voted for 2 costly wars, Bush's costly pharmaceutical plan, the bank bailout, auto bailout...would Ayn Rand agree with his votes?
Two items relative to Ayn Rand...
1) Ayn Rand did not register the CAUSES of the Russian Revolution. If she had seen this would it have broadened her views and introduced a theme of abuse of power ?
2) A useful author to add would be John Steinbeck - his Grapes of Wrath is a nice contrast. The common theme between these two may be that "fairness" is needed in society.
thanks.
You appear to have nothing to worry about - this is shaping up to be a white wash of the vile world-view and hypocritical life of Rand.
For insight into Paul Ryan's lack of authentic Christian values and morals: http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/SatObj.html
"Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, is an acknowledged source for some of the Satanic philosophy as outlined in The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey."
Kathleen wrote:
On your facebook page Allen pointed out that Ayn Rand collected social security and medicare. Sounds like a socialist to me. Also the alleged fiscal conservative Paul Ryan voted for 2 costly wars, Bush's costly pharmaceutical plan, the bank bailout, auto bailout...would Ayn Rand agree with his votes?
Obviously not. But there are those with fossilized minds who can't (or won't) see that. Some of them are on this board. LOL
If you were to survey older folks (over 55) you would find that the majority DO care about younger people, especially families.
Talk about "class warfare"! Ryan and his selfish cohorts want to pit the elderly against the younger folks. Ironically the elderly are less selfish, more altruistic.
A truly fair plan would ask ALL Americans to kick in a bit regardless of age or economic strata.......INcluding revenues from the one percenters.
Ryan's plans include moving retirement and Medicare eligibility age upwards. That does impact "old" folks and young as well.
Lets see if there is a poll about what changes current Soc Sec and Medicare recipients would take right now.
Why anyone bothers with Alissa Rosenbaum's books and so-called philosophy is beyond me. The basic theme of Atlas Shrugged is that when the elite business leaders withdraw their expertise, the result is the rest of the populace degenerates into a Mad Max-like rabble because they are too stupid and selfish to otherwise survive.
Frankly, we could take any 600 or so Janes and Joes off the street and replace our political "leadership" and have a functioning country in my opinion.
Well said, Doris!
I am an atheist and read Atlas Shrugged years ago and hated it! I absolutely do not agree with the whole concept of "the individual" theme that Ayn Rand professed. You don't have to be a religious person to harbor strong feelings of social commitment and responsibility. I do believe that Mr. Ryan is a bit shallow with his strong belief in the Ayn Rand philosophy while pretending to be a devout catholic. I find this to be very, very scary....
however one adheres and transmits Ms Rand‘s philosophy to social application, for the USA of 315 million citizens, the effect of her philosophy on herself? She was personally an intolerable autocrat: the last ten years demonstrate especially under the Republicans: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, said Lord Acton.
Paul Maginnis, Hurst Texas
Oh, I see.
Thanks for clarification.
And that same "Joe The Plumber" has been made a star thanks to Sarah Palin and the wackadoos on the far right. smh.
Ayn Rand is the queen of hypocrisy and self consumption.
Thanks, Honest Abe, while we're at it, let's put another 60 or so in charge of all the incarnations of financial institutions.
Question for the panel.
How can so many Republicans voice support for Rand when they never vote to end their own incredible Congressional benefits?
More important question though, according to a Mother Jones article, the average red state (republican state) is bringing in less than it spends in federal dollars as opposed to the blue states. It seems the only people who support Rand's ideology are those whose are in living the opposite of it. Why should we still consider her writings to be anything of worth if her followers are so far from what she supposedly triumphed?
Please discuss where capitalism is mentioned in the U.S.constitution?
Let Onkar talk more, he is the only qualified scholar.
Ayn Rand Lexicon for Ayn Rand's views on every subject she spoke about.
http://aynrandlexicon.com/