Editor's note: On April 30, The Atlas Society published audio of Rep. Paul Ryan speaking at a TAS event in 2005. In the audio he indicates that Rand's ideas shaped his thinking in profound ways. He also indcated that he has his staff read Atlas Shrugged.
Following conservative media comments which suggested that these facts were simply urban legends concocted by liberals, TAS published the audio on order to better inform the public. Since then the audio recording has been cited many times in mainstream media. Here are some of those instances.
Ryan's Evolution on Privatizing Medicare
--Huffington Post
Was Ryan's Social Security plan inspired by Pinochet?
--Salon.com
Talking Loud, Saying Nothing
--Fundweb
Paul Ryan Videos Reinforce Republican Nominee's Commitment to Privatizing Medicare
--Huffington Post
Did Mitt Romney Learn his '47 Percent' Line From Paul Ryan?
--The Atlantic Wire
Paul Ryan Disowns Speech To Ayn Rand Group Decying 'Collectivist' Social Security
--Talking Points Memo
Secret Ryan Transcript: Social Security and Medicare are the Target
--America magazine
Ryan's 'Secret' Tape is Even More Extreme Than Romney's
--Huffington Post
Ryan's pick of literature not unlike liberal works
--Statesman Journal
Ayn Rand's popularity on rise, thanks to conservatives
--Arizona Daily Sun
'Atlas Shrugged,' liberals whined
--San Francisco Chronicle
Galt, Gold, and God
--New York Times (Paul Krugman)
Ayn Rand: a curious choice for GOP
--Wisconsin State Journal
An atheist-inspired fox in the Republican right's hen house
--Carroll Daily Times Herald
Jump on the Rand Wagon! How Ryan Resurrected Ayn
--New York Observer
Ayn Rand: Why is she so popular?
--BBC
Ryan's Possible Interpretation of Rand
--Madison County Courier
Randier Than Thou: the left's weirdest attack on Paul Ryan
--Wall St. Journal
Paul Ryan and the resurgence of Ayn Rand
--Canadian Broadcasting Company
Ryan Sought To 'Change the Dynamics' of American Society in 2005
--ThinkProgress.org
Paul Ryan is Far From an Ayn Rand Prodigy
--U.S. News & World Report
Would-be VP Paul Ryan: What Would Ayn Rand Say?
--Forbes
Election 2012: Now a Referendum on Medicare
--The Fiscal Times
Where is the Liberal Ayn Rand?
--NPR
Ayn Rand is odd deity for GOP
--Tallahasee Democrat
(Video) The Differences Between Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand
--U.S. News and World Report
(Video) "An Extreme Choice": Touting Ayn Rand GOP Pick Paul Ryan Backs Dismantling the New Deal
--Democracy Now
Paul Ryan spurs excitement within Ayn Rand's creepy fanbase
--DailyKos
Paul Ryan Loves Ayn Rand: 6 Candidates' Favorite Books
--Huffington Post
Paul Ryan Doesn't Follow Ayn Rand on Civil Liberties
--Nation
Ayn Rand Followers Worry Paul Ryan Might be Double-Edged Sword
--Talking Points Memo (featuring comments by David Kelley)
My Take: Christianity and Ayn Rand's Philosophy are two distinct religions
--Washington Post religion blog
Real cute package of cruelty (Maureen Dowd)
--New York Times News Service
(Video) Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand: Caught in a Bad Romance
--MSNBC
Is Ryan for or against Ayn Rand?
--CNN.com (front page)
Veep nominee Paul Ryan renounces former fascination with Ayn Rand
--New York Daily News
What Ayn Rand says about Paul Ryan
--Washington Post
Paul Ryan Book Club: Shrugging Off Ayn Rand?
--ABC News
What did Ayn Rand teach Paul Ryan about monetary policy?
--Washington Post
Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand, and the meaning of life
--Newsday
Ayn Rand joins the ticket
--New Yorker
Ayn Rand followers applaud Paul Ryan
--Politico
Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand Fan, Brings Writer's Philosophy to the Presidential Stage
--Huffington Post
If Ryan were an Atlas Shrugged character, he'd be a villain
--The Atlantic
Paul Ryan's Ayn Rand Reader: Lesson One
--Slate.com
Paul Ryan--the Anti-Palin
--Chrisitan Science Monitor
What an Ayn Rand View Could do for Romney
--NPR
Paul Ryan, introduced as ‘faithful Catholic’ on ‘human life,’ was rebuked by bishops over cuts to poor
--Washington Post
Paul Ryan Loved Ayn Rand before he said he didn't
--L.A. Times
Ryan Choice a 'Gamble' but he's no 'Robot Nerd'
--Newser.com
Paul Ryan Reading Guide: The Best Reporting on the VP Candidate
--ProPublica
(Note: The above article was also published on the Mother Jones website.)
Don't Brush Off Influence of "Shrugged"
--Boston Herald
Ayn Rand vs. the pope
-Salon.com