Paul Ryan renouncing Ayn Rand is like Peter denying Christ, except that Anne Rand was a batty old atheist who preached a self-serving “philosophy” called objectivism.
ThinkProgress explains why the news of Ryan’s loss of faith seems so shocking at first glance:
In 2005, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) heaped praise on Ayn Rand, a 20th-century libertarian novelist best known for her philosophy that centered on the idea that selfishness is “virtue.” The New Republic wrote:
“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,” Ryan said at a D.C. gathering four years ago honoring the author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead…”
But today, Ryan is singing a far different tune. From an interview with National Review’s Bob Costa this week:
“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…”
Key word: atheist. More here.
He’s a flip-flopping, Etch-A-Sketch Republican/Libertarian/Objectivist/Tea Party Granny-Starver.
I think he’s repositioning himself, perhaps due to polling which shows Rand doesn’t poll well?
I wouldn’t trust him on this. I think he’s pretty good at rationalizng worshipping both Rand and his idea of God. Money’s in there as well.