John Adams Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 The NY times must have been thrilled when this liberal biographer of Rand agreed to pen this editorial. She outlines some of the Rand/Libertarian criticisms of the current Replublican party and Ryan. To the author's credit, I looked her up and bought the Rand biography. I don't know much about Rand's life besides that she was a Russian immigrant and a bit of a mess in her love life (some kind of permissive, from her POV, love triangle between her and her husband and her and some other dude). From her writings, I've always assumed she was a joyless, humorless wretch but I have no idea if that's right. And though Mr. Ryan’s advocacy of steep cuts in government spending would have pleased her [Rand], she would have vehemently opposed his social conservatism and hawkish foreign policy. She would have denounced Mr. Ryan as she denounced Ronald Reagan, for trying “to take us back to the Middle Ages, via the unconstitutional union of religion and politics.” ... Rand’s atheism and social libertarianism have long placed her in an uneasy position in the pantheon of conservative heroes, but she has proved irresistible to those who came of age in the baby boom and after... Mr. Ryan is particularly taken by Rand’s black-and-white worldview. “The fight we are in here,” he once told a group of her adherents, “is a fight of individualism versus collectivism.” If she were alive, he said, Rand would do “a great job in showing us just how wrong what government is doing is.” ... Yet when his embrace of Rand drew fire from Catholic leaders, Mr. Ryan reversed course with a speed that would make his running mate, Mitt Romney, proud. “Don’t give me Ayn Rand,” he told National Review earlier this year. “Give me Thomas Aquinas.” He claimed that his austere budget was motivated by the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which holds that issues should be handled at the most local level possible, rather than Rand’s anti-government views. This retreat to religion would have infuriated Rand, who believed it was impossible to separate government policies from their moral and philosophical underpinnings. Policies motivated by Christian values, which she called “the best kindergarten of communism possible,” were inherently corrupt. ... Mr. Ryan’s rise is a telling index of how far conservatism has evolved from its founding principles. The creators of the movement embraced the free market, but shied from Rand’s promotion of capitalism as a moral system. They emphasized the practical benefits of capitalism, not its ethics. Their fidelity to Christianity grew into a staunch social conservatism that Rand fought against in vain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Spend 20 years in the church of a race-baiting madman while starting your political career in the living room of an admitted domestic terrorist, and it's no big deal. But read ONE book by a Russian atheist...and all the little liberal minds explode. The funny thing is, since the Tea Party got legs, the left spent their days laughing at "Randians carrying pocket Constitutions," and now we all care about Paul Ryan's take on Ayn Rand? Is it any wonder Joe Biden can't wait until we get out of the 20th century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Spend 20 years in the church of a race-baiting madman while starting your political career in the living room of an admitted domestic terrorist, and it's no big deal. But read ONE book by a Russian atheist...and all the little liberal minds explode. The funny thing is, since the Tea Party got legs, the left spent their days laughing at "Randians carrying pocket Constitutions," and now we all care about Paul Ryan's take on Ayn Rand? Is it any wonder Joe Biden can't wait until we get out of the 20th century. I only wish Obama could enunciate the philosophical underpinnings for his politics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I only wish Obama could enunciate the philosophical underpinnings for his politics. Thought about you the other day when I saw this video. Funny stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Drl8fpWTKo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 That's awesome. Adams and Jefferson hated each other more than any two candidates ever did. Adams did most of his attacking himself, while Jefferson (such a kitty) had others do his dark bidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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