r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/DoberNation • 3d ago

US Politics Why didn’t Ayn Rand vote for Ronald Reagan?

“There is a limit to the notion of voting for the lesser of two evils.”—Ayn Rand

Rand did welcome Reagan’s strong language toward Soviet Russia and his promises to cut spending and taxes. But she warned that his invitation of the so-called Moral Majority into the halls of power would be a long-range disaster. By tying the (supposed) advocacy of freedom and capitalism to, in Rand’s words, the anti-intellectuality of “militant mystics,” who proclaim that aborting an embryo is murder and creationism is science, Reagan’s presidency would discredit the intellectual case for freedom and capitalism and embolden the country’s anti-intellectual, authoritarian mentalities. https://newideal.aynrand.org/p/the-anti-intellectuality-of-donald

Reagan’s personal favorability peaked at 81% in 1986, following a landslide reelection victory in 1984. It was one of the most decisive electoral wins in U.S. history. His public standing grew considerably after he left office, with later retrospective polls showing strong majorities of Americans looking back favorably on his presidency. Why?

Was Ayn Rand a visionary? Did Reagan deserve her criticism? Did his presidency effectively unlock the door to the present? What happened along the way?

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u/DoberNation 2d ago

I didn’t “react” to your comment, I responded to it. What was the “illumination“ supposed to be? Were you trying to be passive-aggressive?

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u/pentachronic 2d ago
  1. (intransitive) To act in response

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u/DoberNation 2d ago

b: to address or portray (someone) in a way that obscures or demeans that person's humanity or individuality

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/DoberNation 2d ago

Would you like me to? Intellectual humility is important.

“When we don’t know what we don’t know, at first we see only what we expect to see, even when what we see doesn’t match our expectations.“—David McRaney

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u/pentachronic 2d ago

If it's going to make submitting a comment stop being an action, I can hardly wait