Actor Rob Lowe Defends Ayn Rand In Wake Of Paul Ryan's Admiration For The Philosopher

» 42 comments

Following presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's announcement that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) would be his running-mate, many on the left dug up the congressman's noted admiration of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand as a point of concern, given her espousal of a philosophy that sneered at altruism and championed the individual above collective society.

In response to all the hubbub over the free-market philosopher, a surprising defender came out of the woods: actor Rob Lowe. On Saturday, he took to Twitter to bemoan the fact that Rand's name is often met with 'vitriol':

Can someone explain the vitriol whenever Ayn Rand comes up? 'Atlas' is the greatest motivator for the individual that I can imagine.

' Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) August 11, 2012

Lowe was once well-known for his liberal views, campaigning for Michael Dukakis during the 1988 presidential campaign, and donating to several other Democratic campaigns over the years. But in recent years, the famed actor has become a self-described 'centrist.'

This is not the first time Lowe has defended the late Rand from her detractors. Several years ago, he said (in a forthright manner, reminiscent of his Parks and Recreation character Chris Traeger?) 'Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a stupendous achievement and I just adore it.'

' '
>> Follow Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) on Twitter

• The vitriol comes from liberals who hate the fact that Americans can rise up to the highest levels of success without the governments help. Its flying in the face of their whole ideology so they do what they always do, Attack and Deflect.

• 'There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.'

  'Paul Krugman

• The left hates her because of her devastating deconstruction of the foundations of socialism and communism. 

  The right tolerates her but doesn't like her because she's an athiest.

• Paul Krugman.. lol

• Maybe his best line ever, yes.

• You either subscribe to the Obama philosophy that says 'prosperity should be shared', or you subscribe to something else.  Ayn Rand represents the 'something else', and Alynsky teaches our friends on the left that anything that is something else, needs to be isolated, marginalized and then dismissed.

  The reflexive hostility to Rand is just the left following orders.

• Actually no, a lot of people who have met her found her a very disagreeable person based off of her personality. Don't try to read into this too much. 

•  Nobody really cares what 'alien invasion' Paul Krugman thinks anymore

• What part of it is he defending? the phony part of collecting SS and benefiting from medicare (allegedly). 

• The left hates her because they are 'tolerant'

• Today's 'conservatives' are futile, impotent and, culturally, dead. They have nothing to offer and can achieve nothing. They can only help to destroy intellectual standards, to disintegrate thought, to discredit capitalism, and to accelerate this country's uncontested collapse into despair and dictatorship.
  'Ayn Rand

  I believe she wrote that about Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley, both of whom she seemed to have a sneering contempt for. Correct me if I'm wrong about that.

• And yet it's the right that is constantly accused of epistemic closure, even though they'll 'tolerate' those who deviate from conservative orthodoxy, like we see with Rand.The left won't tolerate any deviation from their prescribed narrative.  Look what happened to Joe Lieberman.

• Rob Lowe and Paul Ryan two great american thinkers?  Ayn Rand is a hero to the  small minds.

• Someone who thinks quoting stooge Krugman is a good thing, that is hilarious.

•  Your first mistake was citing a fool like krugman.

• If you guys want to wholeheartedly embrace Ayn Rand for this election then fill your boots. I've no doubt the Obama campaign will approve.

• Poor Rob Lowe' he can consider his acting career over, since he will most likely be blackballed from Hollywood now by those 'tolerant' liberals

• He wrote a good and memorable line, yes.

•  The government wants Americans to succeed. Government programs give livelihood to such a big percentage of American families. It is just crazy that the Republican portion of the country wants to do away with this. 

• Not likely.There's many conservatives in Hollywood.Most of them are just not radicals or batshit crazy though.

•  Paul Krugman is honestly a genius'..he just is always on his game and spot on in his analyses and observations. I wish he had more political power to really change this country for the better. 

•  Well i'm sure glenn beck's followers and the baggers don't

•  I disagree. But then again i think the same thing is true for people who quote Ms. Palin

• Krugman is one to talk about 'childish fantasies.' He is a psychotic in a waking dream state.

  Paul Krugman's Nostalgianomics: Economic Policies, Social Norms, and Income Inequality, Brink Lindsey
  http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/13673718

•  LOL..nice one!

• Krugman ?

  Didnt he win a Noble Prize for Economics ?

•  He actively campaigned against his own party and stopped supporting the ideals of his party, that is not a deviation that was by any definition a betrayal and he was rejected by his own supporters whom he threw under a republican conservative bus.

  Try to be honest.

• but, but, but , but ' Hollywood is full of 'job creating 1%'ers', how could they be liberals ??

• Yet an orc still knows more about the real world than Paul Krugman.    

• Try to follow the bouncing ball.

  Conservatism proper is a legitimate, probably necessary, and certainly widespread attitude of opposition to drastic change. It has, since the French Revolution, for a century and a half played an important role in European politics. Until the rise of socialism its opposite was liberalism. There is nothing corresponding to this conflict in the history of the United States, because what in Europe was called 'liberalism' was here the common tradition on which the American polity had been built: thus the defender of the American tradition was a liberal in the European sense. This already existing confusion was made worse by the recent attempt to transplant to America the European type of conservatism, which, being alien to the American tradition, has acquired a somewhat odd character. And some time before this, American radicals and socialists began calling themselves 'liberals.' I will nevertheless continue for the moment to describe as liberal the position which I hold and which I believe differs as much from true conservatism as from socialism.

  - F.A. Hayek, Why I Am Not A Conservative, 1960

•  The problem is the government should NOT be providing a livelihood to Americans! Only to those who can not truly help themselves. This includes the very young, the elderly and the infirm.

  All others should be given the freedom to strive for a better life, with help from the government in job training, through 'Welfare to Word initiatives'

   Education should be left to the states, who can better insure success at the local levels. Vouchers and charter schools will provide far better results for those who can not attend quality schools in poor neighborhoods.

  Taking unions out of education, will provide more funds for failing schools, NOT the unions. Bad teachers can be fired, while excellent teachers will be rewarded. If a charter school does not live up to standards, the parent can remove the student. Thereby by guaranteeing the charter will apply stronger measures in obtaining and keeping the best teachers available.

  Training for parents who haven't had schooling will prove an asset to the recipients and the country as a whole.

  It's time to give the country back to the people, get the government out of the way and let the citizens not only strive but thrive!

•  Excellent! haha.

• If they want to look at thrown under the bus, they need look no further than Palin.

  They should check out the conservatives4palin/com website.  No doubt they want to gut and stuff the President, but they are going after the 'main stream' Republicans next.  Vicious bunch.  Very tolerant of their own.

  Edited: Didn't want to dignify that wingnut site with an active link.

•  Liberals just LOVE Keynesian economics!!'.Proven a failure over the course of the past century!

• Krugman is a fool because? He is a very clever fellow. You mean you don't like him. Big difference. ;)

• so u r as godless as ayn rand?

•  obama?  Didn't he win a Nobel Prize for' what was it again?

•  Except whenever he debates somebody with a pulse, like Ron Paul for example

•  And'.The Libertarian puts aside her atheistic views, for the substance of her arguments for freedom!
  Lowe is a Libertarian, who agrees with Rand on all issues, supports free enterprise/markets and only disagrees with her views on atheism.

•  So does Ron Paul' and he's one of the most respected politicians in the eyes of conservaties

• Ayn Rand was a lunatic. Very angry about something that happened to her as a child. Atlas Shrugged is a ridiculous book. There are so many speeches in it, which you can't read with a straight face. She even wrote a book titled 'The virtue of selfishness'.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7c-Ei7btbI

• Obama, didn't he win the Nobel Peace Prize?   Do Nobel prizes actually mean anything anymore?  They certainly aren't awarded for merit only.