Texas Faith : Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?

The problem Republicans
have is “a policy coup by some hardnosed people,” in the words of Gen. Wesley
Clark.  The right among Republicans is attempting to take over the
direction of this country and pushing for policies that will break the cohesive
fabric of America.

Paul Ryan’s selection as
the Republican vice presidential nominee has put Ayn Rand back into the
spotlight. Ryan was picked in large part because he’s the architect of a budget
that demands lower taxes and smaller government and, more to the point,
anticipates a shifting emphasis from government to the   individual.
Ryan has credited Rand as a source of his political thought. He has said Rand’s
philosophy was “sorely needed right now” and “Ayn Rand did more than anybody to
build a moral case for capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this to
me is what matters most.”

Rand
argued that altruism is immoral and selfishness is good. She was a champion of
unbridled markets and limited government. She was an atheist who denounced
religion as the enemy of reason and she advanced the idea of an unlimited
laissez-faire capitalism in which the rich prospered in a   social
Darwinian universe. Emboldened by the Tea Party, many Republican leaders like
Ryan have proposed a fundamental dismantling of the nation’s social safety net
in a way that would make Rand proud. But many Tea Party advocates are strong
Christian conservatives who would be appalled by Rand’s anti-Christian views.

Here’s
the thing: By embracing Rand, Paul Ryan touts a philosophy that is tightly knit
and carefully constructed in which the pieces fit neatly together. In Rand’s
world, if you believe in objectivism, there’s no room for a little government
collectivism. One precludes the other. Take out one piece and it all falls
apart.

So
can leaders who are strong believers in Rand’s philosophy advocate
self-interest and   community obligation in the same breath? How do
you make a “moral case” for the individual and individual rights in a way
that’s ethically justifiable? Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?

Our
Texas Faith panel weighs in:

MIKE GHOUSE, President,
Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The
problem Republicans have is “a policy coup by some hardnosed people,” in the
words of Gen. Wesley Clark.  The right among Republicans is attempting to
take over the direction of this country and pushing for policies that will
break the cohesive fabric of America.

As individuals, we do
not function entirely on our own abilities; we are inter-dependent and
interconnected.  Without a consumer the manufacturer will fail, without a
patient a doctor has no job, and without a healthy society the productivity of
a nation suffers, and the rich will not get richer. We don’t need any one when
we are doing well with our health and a reliable income. In Ayn Rand’s ideal
world, the fittest will survive. 

What happens if we are not fit?  Who is not vulnerable to the Nile virus,
floods, fires, disasters, diseases, and the economic depression?

The
defining moment about individualism and collectivism came when Ron Paul was
asked, “Congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?” His
response was health care was a mercy of the community and not a right. A
political commercial depicted Romney to be responsible for the death of a lady
whose family could not afford insurance to treat her cancer.

None of us would have survived the Holocaust, genocides, massacres, persecution
and ethnic cleansing if it was entirely the formula of Ayn Rand. If you are not
willing to stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for you?

At
the end, the Republican Party does have a serious Ayn Rand problem by virtue of
their silence against the policy coup by a few. They have two mouths – one
talks about freedom and the other wants to take away choices from a woman about
her body; one talks about individual liberties while the other rips that right
from gay couples marrying each other, and one talks about freedom of religion
and the other passes laws restricting Muslims to practice their religion.

Indeed,
we need to find a balance between the individual and individual rights in a way
that’s ethically, morally justifiable.

 When Justice Roberts rendered a decision
in favor of Obama care, I welcomed the decision as a moderate Republican, and
instantaneously many Republicans found a way out and echoed my sentiments. They
may be silent, but they have spoken against extremism in the ballot. Ryan is a
new throw in the basket; if he was in the primaries, he probably would have
been rejected like the other divisive men and women.