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Sec of State nominee & former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's favorite book is Atlas Shrugged

Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 4 months ago to Politics
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Tillerson likes Atlas Shrugged, but is not an Objectivist.


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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Silver bullets are for werewolves. Wooden states, crosses, mirrors and garlic are for vampires. What kind of PhD are you?
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  • Posted by unitedlc 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Actually much of the new Vampire vomit includes silver as a destructive force to them as well...
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Its a good thing that he knows a lot of leaders of other countries. That means he can pick up the phone and call them to discuss issues, and they will take the call.
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  • Posted by ChuckyBob 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Mixed metaphor: vampires are wooden stakes (I think holly is supposed to work best), crucifixs and garlic. Werewolfs are silver bullets, but we get the idea.
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 4 months ago
    Maybe the influence of AS is at least partly responsible for his success at Exxon/Mobil.
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  • Posted by ChuckyBob 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Well, look at it from the reviewer's point of view. Atlas Shrugged states the rules of the game and makes the rules plain for all to see. This messes up the "journalists'" game. Of course they will pan it.
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  • Posted by unitedlc 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "There is a big difference from liking Atlas Shrugged to accepting the philosophy of Objectivity."- Yes, but if the article is accurate, it states that it is his "favorite" book. He didn't just like it. Someone who is not a pretty staunch believer in Rand's philosophies is not going to pick this book to be their "favorite" because of the writing style. It can be a slow read at times, and the dialogue can drag on to the point of ridiculousness (Galt's speech, etc.). As a true believer in Rand's philosophy, one can truly enjoy the excessive words, but a non-subscriber will not have the fortitude to endure the entire book with utter enjoyment. That being said, this news gives me hope!
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  • Posted by $ Susanne 8 years, 4 months ago
    If you look at most of Trump's current appointments, and at the man himself, I would make a guess that he could well be a fan of AS... If YOU were in his shoes, would you rather have a gaggle of politicos that have worked hard to maintain the status quo in YOUR cabinet, or a group of successful, well heeled businesspeople?

    Some are scared to death of these appointments - most recently his nomination of a modern day Ellis Wyatt as his SOS - but to me, it's almost as if for some positions, he is going by Ayn's post-collapse post-Gulch playbook for his leadership.

    My question is this - does he see himself as Hank Rearden, John Galt, or Francisco D'Ancona? --grins-- And who will be his first Supreme oOurt nominee? I would say... find the current analogue to Judge Narrangansett...
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  • Posted by coaldigger 8 years, 4 months ago
    There is a big difference from liking Atlas Shrugged to accepting the philosophy of Objectivity. It is, however, a huge improvement over someone that has not read it or who read it and hated it. The appeal of the story in the novel is to people that produce and take pride in their accomplishments. The philosophy takes time and study.

    My first impression was that I liked the ideas but felt unworthy in the presence of the heroes. The second reading, I skipped over the monologues. Before a third reading, I read Barbra Brandon's biography of Ayn Rand and realized that Rand was a philosopher, thinker, mentor and a real life person, flaws and all. Then I had read "Philosophy Who Needs It ?" and "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" and it began to make some sense to me. The fourth time I read AS was during a dark period when I needed the message to justify being crushed for standing on principles. The fifth reading was to get it all fresh in my mind prior to the movies.

    I don't think Rex Tillerson has gone through all those steps so he can be forgiven for not being "pure" but it is encouraging to know he has taken the first step.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 4 months ago
    Looks like the Indians have more respect for Rand than most .Americans, although it baffles me why anyone would quote Salon on anything of unbiased substance.
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  • Posted by $ 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The loathing in the article was as if you had shown a vampire a gun that shot silver bullets.
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  • Posted by Mamaemma 8 years, 4 months ago
    Don't you love the brief description of the book? Talk about Objectivity!
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  • Posted by mminnick 8 years, 4 months ago
    Liking the book is a start. Now to get him to read The Fountainhead. plus a few others. We could make some progress on converting him.
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