Conservative Christian leaders agree: Ayn Rand’s economic and moral philosophy of objectivism is completely antithetical to Christian values. But Paul Ryan sure likes him some objectivism and Ayn Rand. How much so? Listen to the audio file at the bottom of this Atlas Society page, just prior to the comment section – it’s kind of hard to find the audio player (there’s no way to embed a direct link), but it’s a humdinger and worth your time to find and listen.
So, given his Randian adoration, how does Ryan reconcile these remarks to National Review Online earlier this year?
Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist, recently called Ryan “an Ayn Rand devotee” who wants to “slash benefits for the poor.” New York magazine once alleged that Ryan “requires staffers to read Atlas Shrugged,” Rand’s gospel of capitalism. President Obama has blasted the Ryan budget as Republican “social Darwinism.” …
“I reject her philosophy,” Ryan says firmly. “It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas,” who believed that man needs divine help in the pursuit of knowledge. “Don’t give me Ayn Rand,” he says...
Ryan cites Light of the World, a book-length interview of Pope Benedict XVI, as an example of how the Catholic Church takes the global debt problem seriously. “We are living at the expense of future generations,” the pope says. “In this respect, it is plain that we are living in untruth.” Ryan takes those words seriously. “The pope was really clear,” he says.
Really, Paul? Do you really want to go there? (Sidebar: New Yorker Magazine "alleged"? Really, NRO?) Let’s go once again to the Atlas Society transcript:
(2:01) I grew up reading Ayn Rand and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are, and what my beliefs are. It’s inspired me so much that it’s required reading in my office for all my interns and my staff. [Ed. note: doesn't seem to be anything "alleged" about that statement...] We start with Atlas Shrugged. People tell me I need to start with The Fountainhead then go to Atlas Shrugged [laughter]. There’s a big debate about that. We go to Fountainhead, but then we move on, and we require Mises and Hayek as well.
(2:23) But the reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand. And the fight we are in here, make no mistake about it, is a fight of individualism versus collectivism.
(2:38) In almost every fight we are involved in here, on Capitol Hill, whether it’s an amendment vote that I’ll take later on this afternoon, or a big piece of policy we’re putting through our Ways and Means Committee, it is a fight that usually comes down to one conflict: individualism vs. collectivism.
So, Paul – were you lying to the Randians at the Atlas Society, or are you lying to us now? Are you an Ayn Rand disciple, or an adherent of Vatican dogma? It's one or the other; you can't have it both ways. Regardless, neither will set up particularly well with a conservative Christian crowd that is already hinky about Mitt Romney.
No less than Chuck Colson, the late conservative Christian leader (and former Nixon plumber) who would never be mistaken for a liberal or progressive, took apart Rand, and said that her philosophy of objectivism was antithetical to Christian values:
Religions, regardless of the strain, are collectivist by nature. They couldn’t survive without collectivism. The intrepid reader can find a batch of links about what religious leaders from all points on the faith compass think of Ayn Rand here: Christians Must Choose: Ayn Rand or Jesus.
So, how will fundamentalist (and even non-fundamentalist) conservatives reconcile Ryan’s alignment of philosophy with that of Ayn Rand? With a large dose of cognitive dissonance, I expect. When your personal philosophy of political, economic and social issues is diametrically opposed to the guidance of conservative Christian leaders such as Colson, you just might have some issues with the GOP fundamentalist base.
I’ll close for now with a bit of Ryan / Rand video. The juicy bit starts at 2:12:
So, which is it, Paul? I’ll repeat: were you lying to the Randians then, or are you lying to us now? This is not an insignificant question. Or are you just an opportunistic little brat? Either way, you fit like a nine grain bun to your boss’ hot dog. And there's simply not enough Simonize on the planet for Mitt Romney to wax this turd, polish it, and make it look like a shiny new Wienermobile.
-----
(Big tip-o-the cranium cover to Kossack Mokurai, who pointed me in this direction in an earlier comment.)