I love it.
TPM is reporting that "Paul Ryan Confronted By Bible-Wielding Protester Decrying Ayn Rand":
Paul Ryan was chased by a protester waving a giant Bible and decrying libertarian author Ayn Rand on his way out of the Faith and Freedom Conference
snip
"Why did you choose to model your budget on the extreme ideology of Ayn Rand rather than the faith of economic justice in the Bible?" the blond, 20-something male asked. He said he wanted to "present" Ryan with a Bible to teach him how to help the "most vulnerable."
The Ryan belief is contrary to fundamental precepts of Christianity, most faith traditions, and most secular ethical sytems. It ain't American either.
No doubt many fundamentalist Christians will ignore the deepest principles of their religion in favor of their Republican idols. Idolatry is another one of those Big 10 bad things. :-) But the cognitive dissonance one day will explode inside them and perhaps they will have a revelation that greed and a cult of selfishness are wrong.
This can be exploited politically and it should be. That protester did a very good thing.
From Time Magazine's blog Swampland last month:
In contrast, the philosopher GOP leaders quote most reverently these days was vehemently anti-religion, and referred to Christian teachings as “evil” and “monstrous.” Awwwwkward. Fortunately for Republicans, most social conservatives haven’t yet made the connection.
Here’s just a taste of the praise GOP and other conservative leaders have for Ayn Rand:
Paul Ryan says Ayn Rand is the reason he entered politics and he requires all staff and interns to read her books. Says Ryan: “Ayn Rand more than anyone else did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.”
Clarence Thomas requires his law clerks to watch The Fountainhead, and has said “I tend really to be partial to Ayn Rand.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, Ryan’s GOP colleague from Wisconsin, calls Atlas Shrugged his “foundational book.”
Rush Limbaugh calls Ayn Rand “the brilliant writer and novelist.”
Fox News repeatedly promoted the recently released movie version of Atlas Shrugged, airing the trailer on several shows and interviewing cast members.
snip
Two Christian groups are airing a radio ad in the Catholic Ryan’s district starting this weekend, arguing that the GOP budget “abandons pro-life values.” The ad is voiced by a priest in the district, and it’s sponsored by the Catholic social justice organization NETWORK and the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
Read more: http://swampland.time.com/...
Ayn Rand: The GOP’s Godless Philosopher
Disclaimer: Obviously Ayn Rand is no more a representative of atheism than Torquemada is a representative of Christianity. But where one political party tried to appropriate "God" and the Christian faith tradition for anti-Christian actions, it is good to point it out. Indeed, Ryan's budget seems contrary to the principles of many faith traditions and many secular (non-theistic) ethical traditions.
It's the budget of Ebenezer Scrooge before the Ghosts of Christmas came.