-
Elijah Harper, R.I.P.
May 18, 2013 | 1 comment
-
That’s a Lot of Caca in Caracas
May 16, 2013 | 7 comments
-
Canadian PM: Keystone XL Pipeline “Absolutely Needs To Go Ahead.”
May 16, 2013 | 2 comments
-
Has Obama Done Sufficient Damage Control With The IRS?
May 15, 2013 | 8 comments
-
Liberals Surprisingly Re-Elected in British Columbia
May 15, 2013 | 1 comment
The Spectacle Blog
A couple of days ago, I pondered why the media is falling all over itself to examine Paul Ryan’s intellectual influences (namely Ayn Rand) while this same media failed to show any curiosity about President Obama’s intellectual influences (i.e. Saul Alinsky, Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright, Rashid Khalidi).
Well, Dave Weigel (who was amongst those who has been writing about the Ryan/Rand connection) replied in kind yesterday. I would have responded sooner but Weigel’s response only came to my attention today while reading Seth Mandel’s observations about the matter in Commentary.
While Weigel’s reply is lengthy it is ultimately unsatisfactory because he didn’t address the issue at hand. It’s all well and good that Weigel read Atlas Shrugged in high school and subsequently worked at Reason magazine for 2½ years. While it does explain why Weigel is personally interested in the Ryan/Rand connection, it does not explain why the liberal media isn’t interested in exploring President Obama’s intellectual influences and that is the main point of my argument.
Again, I’m not arguing Weigel shouldn’t explore this line of inquiry. Weigel argues that there’s a crevasse when it comes to Christianity and Rand’s Objectivism. Fine. But I would in turn argue that there’s as deep as crevasse when it comes to Christianity and Marxism. Last I checked Marx wrote, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” Well, let’s consider someone I haven’t previously mentioned. One of President Obama’s earliest intellectual influences was Frank Marshall Davis, a card carrying Communist. The AmSpec’s own Paul Kengor has written a book about Davis titled The Communist and also discussed him in a recent TAS article. So why does The Washington Post, NPR, Newsday, The Los Angeles Times and Weigel’s Slate see fit to discuss the Ryan/Rand connection but doesn’t see fit to explore the Obama/Davis connection?
From where I sit, there are five reasons these liberal media outlets don’t pursue this line of inquiry:
a) They don’t care.
b) They don’t want to know.
c) They consider such an inquiry to be racist.
d) They don’t want to criticize Obama when they can criticize Romney and Ryan.
e) They want Obama to serve four more years in the White House.
At the risk of being accused of ignoring the substance of Weigel’s argument, I have this to offer. A few years ago during a speech, Ryan made an offhand remark referencing John Galt’s speech towards the end of Atlas Shrugged. Weigel describes Galt’s speech as “one of the most aggressive arguments against Christianity you will ever read.” Yet Weigel is also of the opinion that Ryan was “pandering”. Indeed, Weigel ends his piece by stating, “I don’t assign any of these beliefs to Ryan, but I’d love to hear him talk about them…” OK, so if Weigel believes that Ryan doesn’t actually agree with the substance of Galt’s speech then what is there for Ryan to talk about? It might very well be interesting but when it comes down to it isn’t all that important. Well, whatever floats Weigel’s boat. I think most people would rather hear Paul Ryan talk about balancing the budget, improving Medicare and offer other viable alternatives to the policies of President Obama than give an oral dissertation on Atlas Shrugged.
View all comments (5) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/08/15/dave-weigels-unsatisfactory-re
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.15.12 @ 3:34PM
AAron.
you know.....after wading through Atas Shrugged, I came away with a young lady just trying to run a railroad and being thwarted at every turn.
I am a committed Christian as you know. I have always tried to take the concepts to mainstreet..with great success.
Money...yeah/
But the ongoing reward is that deep voice in my mind saying "well done here" when I get it right.
JD| 8.15.12 @ 5:23PM
Rand equated Christianity with mindless "follow blindly" theologies like socialism, which demanded selflessness. Thus she hated it.
In truth, while Christianity tells people to love, it also tells us that everyone's a sinner, and that expecting selflessness is foolish. True Christians know that selfishness will exist and will dominate in this world. Smart Christians support a system that allows Christians to practice the very Christian art of using their God-given abilities as best they can, while not collapsing if others do not do so, or are selfish. Furthermore, such a system is the most free, which enables Christians to spread the Gospel.
That's why the Randian system of freedom is recognized to be best by Christians, even if the motivations for Christians as actors within that system are different.
JD| 8.15.12 @ 5:25PM
Rand did, as Weigel mentioned, oppose the Christian idea of man's natural tendency towards evil. She thought man was naturally good.
Of course, so do liberals. That's why they think an altruistic society can work.
So... the Left is condemning Randism for aligning with them instead of conservatives?
Thom| 8.15.12 @ 6:58PM
From my casual observations, there is a private Rand and public face she projects through her books. Like Ken, I can find many themes in Atlas Shrugged that no Conservative can disagree with if they actually believe all that they say about free enterprise, etc. Religion can be as corrupt and dominating as any other kind of collective ideology, need I sight examples here? What Rand grew up with is Communism. What she reacted to is the after effects of anything that even suggested the “state” had any control over the individual (her). Her private life was a mess by any standard you use. What the majority of people who have any exposure to Rand know about her comes from her two best selling books. Most know little to nothing about her private life or her Objectivism. 66% of “youts” age 18-29 voted for a committed Marxist in this country and the rage of the moment is what Paul Ryan read in High School?
I’m not a follower of Aye Rand, am a Christian but know when to value something that is consistent with the free will of humanity and can ignore the personal failings of someone with troubles in their life and has suffered something the bulk of us can only have night mares about.
A is A
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.15.12 @ 7:05PM
JD,
that was why her book was so long...wrestling with that conundrum. Christians understand that each little boy and each lovely little girl are born "over against God"...or ignorant of Him, which creates the dimmer life.
Their eyes just arent open until they meet the Holy Spirit in person.
Our commission as Christians is to simply introduce them .