Author Ayn Rand was thrust into the presidential campaign rhetoric. It seems Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is one of her disciples, or at least the liberal media want to stick him with that brand. That is what they believe the tea party Republicans want to hear.
So why is an association with Rand so contentious? For those avant-garde students who embraced her philosophy about government and society in their American lit college course, Rand’s epic novel “Atlas Shrugged” was their mantra until they got into the real world.
Several columnists lately have the impression that Ryan never crossed that line and is still a disciple of Rand’s theories on what government should not be. Some pundits attach these theories to Libertarians. Michael Kinsley of Bloomberg News wrote that Rand was the “favorite author of geeky teenage boys (who grew out of it) and Paul Ryan (who didn’t).”
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was caught in a video at a private fundraiser, capturing the contempt that Rand had for Americans who don’t pay taxes yet feel they are the victims of the capitalistic system. Romney said 47 percent of Americans believe they are entitled to housing, food and health care without any responsibility to support government, Kinsley said.
A PBS radio discussion about the makers and the takers echoed this opinion. The consensus predicted that takers are soon to outnumber makers.
Literary critics and latter-day philosophers have mixed opinions about Rand, especially her political and economic theories expressed in “Atlas Shrugged.” Libertarians and elements of extreme right-wing Republicans follow her objectivity as promoted by the Cato Institute. It might be too severe to pin their biased views on Ryan.
I never read “Atlas Shrugged,” but I am familiar with Rand’s philosophy about individuals. Research reveals that her principal implication is human objectivity, meaning independence of belief. A Russian Jew who fled the Soviet Union in 1925, she escaped her frustrations as a college student denied free expression of her beliefs.
Some of Ryan’s campaign speeches reflect Rand’s theory about objectivity but don’t necessarily support the Libertarian notion of limited government intervention. The media seem to think he is campaigning on that concept to attract the right-wingers who don’t fancy Romney.
Ryan brought some fresh concepts to the lackluster Romney campaign. He provided a plan to the obscure Republican crusade to the White House. All Romney had to do was add water and stir to create a product line, according to columnist Margaret Carlson.
Republican insiders claim that it was not significant enough to endorse Ryan’s plan. The party needed Ryan himself on the ticket to placate the party conservatives. One thing for sure, Ryan brought a fresh wave of enthusiasm into an otherwise routine convention in Tampa, Fla.
This election seems to be a test of how far to the right the Republican Party will go to satisfy the ultra-conservatives. There’s no denying that the tea party candidates did well in the midterm elections and are still flexing their collective muscles to oppose some of those liberal notions, like abortion and same-sex relationships. Just read the Republican Party platform to get the picture.
With only four weeks left in the presidential campaign, it’s too late to turn the ship around on political philosophy to capture the undecided independent voters. An editorial last week noted that there will always be a number of Americans who are uninterested, uninformed and uninvolved in the political process. These could be the swing votes if a candidate can get their attention.
Instead of supporting inspired leadership to fix the economy, create jobs and reduce federal debt, too many rank-and-file Republicans are all hung up on social issues. These are not what political parties should be about. That is no place for government to meddle. Perhaps Rand had a point in her doctrine of promoting objectivism in her numerous published works over 40 years.
Ford is a freelance writer located in San Diego. He can be reached at johnpatrick.ford@sddt.com.
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