Atlas Rages Against the Machine

Paul Ryan's taste in books and music.

One of Paul Ryan's favorite bands is Rage Against the Machine. By the standards established by his Ayn Rand fandom, we should therefore conclude that he's a rabid Marxist, right?

Yes, I know: Ryan identified Rand, not Rage, as the reason he got into politics. But if you want to know how a legislator would govern -- or, in the case of a vice president, hang around with the people who govern -- you're better off looking past his words to check his actual voting record. And in that arena, Rand hasn't been much more influential than Rage.