PrintAugust 29, 2012
Red-Baiting vs. Rand-Baiting
The anti-Rand hysteria continues. Every day we read about the specter of Ayn Rand looming over America in the person of Paul Ryan. Michael Kinsley warns us that Ryan, the super-hero, has contempt for the common man. Bill Maxwell decries Rand's and hence Ryan's "staunch supporter of for-profit institutions" including private schools. Joseph Lazzaro suggests we look at Ryan's record to see his cruel Randian soul that's "nearly perfect in its immorality." For Stephen Marche, "Ayn Rand is really the tipoff" to Ryan's antiquated views. Spencer Critchely scoffs disapprovingly that Rand wants "genius builders" to "triumph" instead of looters (seriously, he says that!). And this is just the commentaries over a three-day period.
Paul Ryan's youthful enthusiasm for Ayn Rand continues to fuel this hysteria, even though everyone knows that Ryan, a devoted Catholic, has long since moved on. Now that it is legitimate to explore the candidates' early...(Read Full Article)
