A Movie For The Tea Party Movement
In recent years Tax Day has become both a symbolic and literal focal point for the tea party. The day represents wasteful and irresponsible government spending habits, overreaching federal control of the economy, and a near system-wide disregard for the foundational values of individual responsibility and personal freedom. This Tax Day that connection is intensified with the release of “Atlas Shrugged Part 1,” the much-anticipated film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s seminal novel.
The similarities between “Atlas Shrugged” and the tea party movement are far more significant than a shared date, however. “Atlas Shrugged” and another Rand novel, “The Fountainhead,” inspired me to get involved in the tea party movement, as they have inspired countless others to do the same. At its essence, the story of “Atlas Shrugged” reflects the ethos of the Tea Party.
The book and the movement share a common faith in supremacy of individual liberty and the importance of limited government. Both recognize, as leaders like Ronald Reagan did, that great American thinkers and entrepreneurs–not government bureaucrats–are the driving forces of American exceptionalism.
Rand painted a dark portrait of American decline with government intruding into virtually every aspect of business. Congress passes the “Anti-Dog Eat Dog Rule” to outlaw competition and the “Equalization of Opportunity Bill” to limit the number of businesses one person could own. Bureaucrats want to regulate how much product manufacturers can produce, whom the owners can hire as workers, and at what price they can sell their goods. Sound familiar?
The public is perplexed and terrified. Uncertainty continues to spread as, in response to the increasing attacks, the nation’s best and brightest entrepreneurs start disappearing. They leave only one clue as to their whereabouts: a note that asks, “Who is John Galt?”
The dystopian events and sentiments brought to life in Rand’s novel–and presented in chilling visuals in the film adaptation–were mirrored in the very beginnings of the tea party, which arose in response to concern about the growing role government was playing in business and the economy, suffocating innovation and freedom in the name of so-called fairness and equality. The irresistibly mysterious question–“Who is John Galt?”–has become a sort of rallying cry for tea partiers, appearing on signs and T-shirts at rallies across the country.
Similarities exist even in the growth of the tea party and “Atlas Shrugged Part 1.” Just as the establishment parties have been scared off by the tea party’s unwavering dedication to real small-government principles, major movie studios have shunned adaptations of “Atlas Shrugged”–not just this incarnation, but countless past attempts to make the movie. And as the tea party was built through grassroots activism, so “Atlas Shrugged Part 1” relies largely on word-of-mouth promotion without the marketing budget of a major studio.
In times of trial we look for guidance from thinkers and artists who possess the courage to be bold. Rand’s status among our greatest advocates of individual liberty is evidenced by the passionate response to her work. The book experienced a spike in sales in line with the rise of the tea party in response to the rush of new spending and government control. Originally slated for release in 11 markets, “Atlas Shrugged Part 1” is slated to open in 50 markets and counting as a direct result of fans demanding theaters show the movie.
“Atlas Shrugged” is not a book or film about the tea party, but it could be. The similarities are striking and disconcerting. Since its publication in 1957 the book has served as a stark warning against Big Government. Similarly, the timely film adaptation presents a portrait of what could be if we neglect to rein in government and restore the freedom and entrepreneurial spirit that have made America great. The film will trouble any American who worries about the future of his or her country, but ultimately it will follow in the novel’s footsteps and serve as a call to action.
Matt Kibbe is president and CEO of FreedomWorks, a nationwide grassroots organization fighting for lower taxes, less government and freedom, and the author of Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto.
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