Trump's Gulch: Inaugural Opportunities: Making Ayn Rand Relevant in the Era of President Trump

The Atlas Society ^ | January 19, 2017 | Jennifer A. Grossman

[huckfillary]

Donald Trump is said to be an admirer of philosopher/author Ayn Rand. This is encouraging, but actions speak louder than words. President Reagan, as we know, was purported to have been an admirer of Ayn Rand. Rumor has it, he even took his oath of office carrying a copy of her masterpiece, "Atlas Shrugged," in his coat pocket. Yet his record in office belies this. Government, including welfare spending and deficit spending, grew under President Reagan. This is certainly not consistent with Rand's philosophy; she would have taken a wrecking ball to the federal government, eliminating all but its essential functions. So, bottom line, before we libertarians get excited about Trump's supposed admiration of Ayn Rand, I would advise taking a wait-and-see approach. We've been down this road before.

https://artfuldilettante.com/

[KC_Lion]

Big Ping!

[hardspunned]

Dang, Trump’s cabinet has gone Galt! Can they take the country with them?

[Rusty0604]

I’m a bid fan of Ayn Rand. I’m surprised at how many FReepers hate her.

[huckfillary]

I think most people that hate her haven’t read her works intently. Objectivism isn’t for sissies. Because it runs against the grain of everything we’ve been taught, it requires an effort and level of intensity well above the ordinary. I’ve read Atlas Shrugged 5x and still I sometimes “don’t get it.”

[Publius]

Rand ping.

Trump's favorite book is The Fountainhead.

[Rusty0604]

Did you read Galt’s entire speech 5x? That is the only part of the book hard to get through.

[fortheDeclaration]

Reagan could only do so much, he never had a GOP congress.

[TBP]

BTTT.

[TBP]

Interesting that he prefers The Fountainhead over Atlas Shrugged. The latter is highly relevant to the times we've been in.

[The Westerner]

John Alison is the rarest thing in the world, a man of principle. If he ascends to prominence in Washington, it will be good for the country.

[RegulatorCountry]

He was well regarded at BB&T headquarters locally.

[The Westerner]

I only know that he resigned rather than go along with the bank takeover. That is right out of the pages of Atlas Shrugged!

[definitelynotaliberal]

The thesis of The Fountainhead is that ego drives our accomplishments. There's nothing shameful about it. And certainly, Trump makes no excuses for his.

[griswold3]

“John Alison is the rarest thing in the world, a man of principle. If he ascends to prominence in Washington, it will be good for the country.”
Bears repeating.

[Salvey]

Rumor has it, he even took his oath of office carrying a copy of her masterpiece, "Atlas Shrugged," in his coat pocket.

Either a large coat, or a large pocket, or both.

[Lou L]

I’m a bid fan of Ayn Rand. I’m surprised at how many FReepers hate her.

I first read "Atlas Shrugged" about 25 years go, and have re-read it numerous time since. The problems that liberals have with it is that they take everything literally--that every interaction, every sentence in the book is the Objectivists' Gospel.

The truth is, you can like some or many of Rand's views without buying into all of them. There is no room for flexibility with Liberals though, and I suppose some Freepers.

[Rusty0604]

Very true.

[sig226]

I find it a bit hard to believe that Reagan had a copy of Atlas Shrugged in his coat pocket when he swore the oath. It’s a big book.

Paul Ryan once more demonstrates his irrelevance. “I reject her philosophy,” Ryan told National Review back in 2012. “It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview.”

The populist claim against Rand was her opposition to altruism. Rand wasn’t against it per se, she opposed the distorted versions of it that constantly appear in pop culture. Hank Reardon made that clear at the end of Atlas Shrugged when he went to rescue John Galt. He risked his life to save Galt because he wanted to save Galt, not because he felt felt a social obligation do it.

[central_va]

Ayn Rand was a globalist Free Trader.