The Resonance of Libertarian Oratory By Bryan Caplan

My co-author Scott Beaulier‘s now blogging and teaching a course about Atlas Shrugged. He always was lucky… except for that time that he accidentally decapitated himself during his first session of Dungeons and Dragons, but that’s another story.

Anyway, Scott’s class just read Hank Rearden’s trial scene in AS, and he’s got a question for them:

Throughout that section, Rand hints at the general public being generally sympathetic to Hank. This

is at least the second time where the public appears to be mildly

pro-capitalism–the first case occurs after Dagny and Hank successfully

complete their first ride on the John Galt Line. While

the general public seems to, at times, be naturally libertarian, their

attitude about capitalism and government is easily swayed by the

looters… […] [H]ow accurate is Rand in her description of the general public, and

would they easily tip back in our direction if we just had a Hank

Rearden or two in court every day?

Sadly, I think Rand’s just engaged in wishful thinking (though not quite as wishful as the trial in The Fountainhead when Roark gets acquited for blowing up a public housing project). If the American public really swooned to libertarian rhetoric, political competition between power-hungry politicians would ensure an ample supply. It’s true, of course, that a few notables have made libertarian speeches resonate with a mass audience; Ronald Reagan and John Stossel come to mind. But overall, statism is an easier sell.