NEW AMERICAN TEA PARTY

Have you attended a tea party lately? It is interesting to see some placards with text messages ("Atlas Shrugs, Atlas is Shrugging") that are referring to Ayn Rand's book, Atlas Shrugged. Here is an excerpt from Robert Tracinski's article, The Ayn Rand Factor In the Santelli Revolt. [Via Randex.]

In defending his stance against the bailouts, Rick Santelli referred to himself as an "Ayn Rander"—a reference to the great 20th-century novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, who is most famous for her ideological defense of laissez-faire capitalism. Similar references seem to be lurking behind nearly every expression of resistance to big government. Rush Limbaugh—whose coining of the term "porkulus" helped galvanize the right's resistance to the so-called "stimulus" bill—has frequently recommended Ayn Rand's magnum opus Atlas Shrugged in recent months, as has conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. (RealClearMarkets, February 27, 2009.)