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Who Is Ron Johnson?

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., loves Ayn Rand and thinks Americans are frogs.

Last week, Johnson sat for an interview with the Atlas Society, the group that takes its name from Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” novel and makes as its mission the promotion of the author’s philosophy of Objectivism. HOH is pretty sure Johnson didn’t disappoint them.

“I think Americans are a little bit like a bunch of frogs in that pot of water, and the water is being brought up to a boil. I think we’re losing freedoms across the board,” Johnson said in the interview.

Later in the interview, Johnson said he sees parallels between the plot of “Atlas Shrugged” and current events.

“We really have developed this culture of entitlement and dependency. That is not what America is all about,” he said. “I mean, America — and that’s of course what ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is all about — it is about individuals aspiring to build things to make their life — and, as a result, the world — a better place. If we shift to a culture where people are saying, ‘I’m happy to sit back and let the government provide me with things,’ that becomes a dangerous point and time for this country.”

And when it comes to which character in “Shrugged” he identifies with, Johnson is firmly a Hank Rearden guy.

“I think most people like to identify with the main character, John Galt,” Johnson said. “I guess I like to think of myself as a Hank Rearden. I refuse to give up.”

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