Objectivists know that the foremost writers and lecturers on Objectivism have not issued unreserved endorsements of politicians active during the decades that Ayn Rand’s philosophy has been in existence. The best that a seeker to elective office may garner is a statement that the candidate’s better aspects outweigh his flaws, with the endorsement statement itself naming those flaws. The reason for Objectivists doing this is a basic part of Objectivism: principles are fundamental. Political promises detached from principle are unlikely to be fulfilled properly, if fulfilled at all.
Leonard Peikoff’s recognition of the role of principles — an approach that teaches us to look for a person’s convictions when evaluating him and considering whether he is suitable for a specific job, let alone for a public office with tremendous responsibilities — led him to notice deficiencies in the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1996.
The accompanying audio is excerpted from Leonard Peikoff’s radio program of March 25, 1996, broadcast live on a Los Angeles AM talk station. Senator Bob Dole would go on to secure the Republican nomination, then be defeated in the 1996 general election that November. Peikoff’s comments here were made while Dole was asking for citizens’ votes in primaries, but after most other Republican candidates had dropped out of their pursuit of the party nomination.
For reasons which should become apparent to listeners as they hear these excerpts, I thought that Peikoff’s evaluation comes across in his voice much more strongly than it would in a transcript of his words. A beep is heard where I have eliminated content for purposes of brevity.
— David Hayes