Ayn Rand Speaks Against the Religious Right in Favor of Conservatism.

[Doctor_K]

A 1991 poll?  Really?  Is anything conducted via a poll from 20 years ago at all relevant to the present?

And if turn-out for the movie really is abysmal, then wouldn't that mean that there aren't as many tea-partiers in the country as they (whomever "they" are is entirely open for discussion, quite honestly) would have us believe? 

And then in turn would it not follow that, if that's indeed the case, they're an over-represented (or at least over-vocal) minority in the grand scheme of American politics?

Paul Johansson makes a great B-series TV antagonist.  Not sure if he's ready to make the jump to B-movie director.   "Atlas Shrugged - directed by Dan Scott"

[hillary supporter]

Buckley disagreed with rand primarily on the subject of faith.  As you are probably aware, his Catholic faith was very important to him and perhaps his best work on firing line was the series of discussions he had with Malcolm Muggeridge.

Ayn Rand was certainly no fringe character River, which you know quite well.  Both Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan were directly influenced by her work, and greenspan still considers himself an objectivist.  I take it you havent actually read her works.

Conservativism has many roots.  Sadly most of the neofascists and new right have no idea whatsoever what their ideas are based on.

One of those roots that preceded Ayn Rands was Thomas Jefferson. Theoretical founder of the republican party. A conservative who advocated 1) states rights 2) minimal government intervention 3) ultimate liberty of the individual. He also defined 1) absolute distrust of the military 2) firm separation of religion and state 3) total suspicion of "big business". As time passed, he changed to, what would be defined today as the left, when he saw the consequences of the French revolution and became the 3rd president. After his election, he promply did his Louisiana purchase without congressional approval, clearly destroying his conservatism. Yet todays conservatives worship him as the american founder of conservatism.
Jefferson opposed the constitution, actually voted against it, until he settled with the bill of rights.
After his completed term, he ushered in James Madision, writer of the constitution, with open arms. As a federalist.