What would Ayn Rand Paul Ryan do?
The Religious Right has driven the GOP’s party platform since it hijacked the party in the 80s.
And now that the Republicans are dancing with the devil who brought them to the 2016 Election dance, regular Americans should wonder—why are the loudest voices against affordable health care, Medicare, and Medicaid, also the ones who talk about their faith the loudest?
And how do they—from the libertarian wing of the GOP to the Tea Party faithful, from Rand Paul to Paul Ryan and a large swath of leading politicians—reconcile their love for Ayn Rand’s anti-collectivist, pro-capitalism, anti-altruistic, and anti-religion beliefs with the patriotic Christianity that they layer in every public policy iteration and rhetorical soundbite?
Seriously. How do they do it?
Either this is high-level genius thinking, contradiction beyond reproach, an understanding of the Christian Gospels that differs from generations of those who have interpreted religious text as altruistic and compassionate, or a new form of logic that is fit only for politicians.
Or something else—like malignant narcissism, magical thinking, confirmation bias, and/or the need for power.
The powerful have always done what they want because they can, whether it’s writing religion, grandstanding on religious principles, or lying to the public enough so that the faithful won’t think twice.
But we’re all supposed to be smarter than that at this point, yes?
Let’s talk about it.
Respond below!
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Photo: Getty Images
Very thought provoking article
Ayn Rand was sick, morally and spiritually.
And wrong, plain and simple.
Is there any doubt Rand would let the bodies pile up?
At root, Ayn Rand’s philosophy is at odds with the teachings of Jesus, but many people find value and inspiration in Rand’s writings, and pick and choose what they are willing to accept. Public figures, like Paul Ryan, are influenced by, and admire Ayn Rand, and then distance themselves from her because they only agree with her to a point. They know there’s a contradiction between her views and their religious views, and they’re uncomfortable with that. But, it’s better to have this contradiction than to blindly reject Rand out-of-hand. Rand + Jesus is better than no Rand at all.… Read more »