• • • How History Shaped Barack Obama’s View of National Identity 
Robin Lindley, History News Network Capitalism  |Individualism  |Paul Ryan  | Interview with Ian Reifowitz, author of Obama’s America.[Reifowitz:] In his acceptance speech, [Paul Ryan] defined his American ideal: “It’s an American journey where I think for myself, decide for myself, find happiness for myself. That’s what we do in this country. That’s the American dream. That’s freedom.” There’s a reason his American dream has the word self in it three times. That’s Ayn Rand, and this idea of defining happiness for myself is almost straight out of Ayn Rand. For Ryan, America seems to be I can do what I want when I want to do it. It sounds like a five-year-old talking rather than a more adult understanding of what America is.   Published: 2012-10-14