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The Spectacle Blog
In other Congressional Republican reading news, Ben Domenech pokes around and discovers that the widely-disseminated fact that Rep. Paul Ryan makes his staffers read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is a fiction.
Ayn Rand, and her influence on Republicans, is becoming a bit of a left-wing bogeyman, and the rumor that Ryan made her required reading fed into that phenomenon. It’s good in more than one way that the rumor is false.
View all comments (9) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Joseph Lawler
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/04/20/ryan-staffers-free-to-read-wha
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Occam's Tool| 4.20.11 @ 10:41AM
It's a huge tome to be made required reading, when Levin's book (Liberty and Tyranny) is much shorter and gets the same important points across.
Real American| 4.20.11 @ 10:56AM
The Dems are afraid of BOOKS! And IDEAS! ARGH!
David T| 4.20.11 @ 11:02AM
No one should waste any time reading Ayn Rand's books.
FastJohnny| 4.20.11 @ 11:28AM
Well, opinion of the writer and content notwithstanding, the reading of this book was required reading in my English class in High School and then again in a undergrad Sociology class in college. I am somewhat surprised that most people who are employed in high levels of government (these people for the most part are college educated with at least a Bachelors or more) would have read the book sometime in their educational life. Of course, I am dating myself as I graduated from undergrad in the late 80s. But even then academia was rife with Marxists: professors who sought to educate along the lines of their own agenda, rather than looking at the full spectrum and critically think. Nowadays, those Marxist have been replaced with Revisionists, who are still very Marxist, but seem to want to rewrite history along apologist lines as well as class/social strata lines. I would venture a guess that "Atlas Shrugged" wouldn't quite fit into their idea of what should be taught. I mean think about it, would Bill Ayres (Professor Bomb and Kill) want his students to read it? How about our Lecturer-n-Chief? I doubt it, it doesn't fit into his version of what people should consider. I mean lets face it, most college educated adults and High school seniors should have come across this book at least once in their life.
gus| 4.20.11 @ 11:57AM
Ayn Rand is not on the GOVERMENT APPROVED reading list.
The list is as follows.
Dreams of my Alcoholic Muslim Daddy.
The Audacity of my RACIST UNCLE JEREMIAH.
and,
It takes a village idiot.
That is all.
Scott| 4.20.11 @ 2:03PM
There actually is a book called "It Takes a Village Idiot," by Jim Mullen. It's a semi-fictitious account of Mullen's move from NYC to upstate NY, and it's a very entertaining read.
David Minnich| 4.20.11 @ 12:22PM
Yes, Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum) has become an icon for a few in the Tea Party. This does not change the fact that her writings and philosophy are crap, and conservatives should do well to steer clear of them.
Oldefarte| 4.20.11 @ 1:43PM
I've never read this book, but I would highly recommend a replacement of same with David Limbaugh's outstanding new book [LIBERTY]. As to liberals [or Democrats/Progressives, same church, different pew], anything beyond their social/radical [ie, Oprah's list or the NYT's bestsellers] would no doubt be dismissed by them as STUPID!!!!!!
Kyle| 4.20.11 @ 2:26PM
Leftist projection once again; coercion is their standard operating procedure.