The Paradox of Ron Paul

I'd been walking around sharing the phrase "fire it up" for about three weeks, borrowing glittery talking points about the exciting race between the first possible female and the first possible African-American president, but I still felt like I didn't understand what changes these candidates were positing other than a replacement nameplate on the oval office desk. If you'd told me at the start of this presidential primary that I'd take off work and roadtrip to New Hampshire and South Carolina for the campaign of a pro-life republican from Texas, I'd have probably jump kicked you in the chest. In his defense, he's from Pittsburgh.

Who is this man, and how did I find him since you can't find him anywhere in television or print? I was sweeping my bedroom passively watching the Republican debates, when, somewhere between Romney's "I'd double the size of Guantanamo" and Guiliani's 37th invocation of 9-11, a soft spoken man you'd only know from C-SPAN2 started talking about the Constitution. He continued stating that we had armed Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, that we've been bombing Iraq since the end of the 1st Persian Gulf War, to remember that the CIA had overthrown Iran in the fifties, and that if we had followed the aforementioned Constitution perhaps we wouldn't have gotten ourselves into so much "mischief." I blurted out something that sounded like "wrudafuk." What presidential candidate uses CIA and the word "mischief" in the same sentence? Then he offers to give Rudy Guiliani a reading list, and "blowback" becomes a familiar word to a lot more people than those who read Chalmers Johnson or the latest National Intelligence Estimates. I become a fan of Dr. Ron Paul.

I began internet researching in my obsessive fashion and eventually discovered some Ron Paul videos on YouTube from rallies around the country. He talked about things like eliminating the IRS, our history of meddling in foreign governments, dissolving the Federal Reserve, ending the war on drugs, and pardoning all non-violent drug offenders. I had no idea what he was talking about, and neither does America.

Ron Paul is a paradox. He is a ten-term Texas congressman who voted against the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, the Real ID Act, internet regulation, those acts last year that stripped Habeas Corpus and Posse Commitatis, plus this week's Democrat sponsored Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (a precursor to internet filtering and University monitoring by the Department of Homeland Security). Democrats shutdown when they see the letter "R" next to the word Texas, and Republicans can't say "he's not a republican" enough. He will quickly remind you that Republicans used to be the antiwar party, and in fact George Bush had been elected on a promise to stop policing the world. Republicans used to be the party of small government, fiscal responsibility, and sound money. Now sound money isn't a sexy topic, but those listening to Ron Paul are starting to wake up to the gravity of what threats can be brought by a steeply declining currency, ballooning debt, excessive militarism combined with over extension, and a government that seems more interested in collecting data on it's own citizenry and protecting corporate marketshare than preventing future attacks.

We can fundamentally change our idea of what our government should be, and return to constitutional principles. Ron Paul's position is that the government shouldn't coddle us from cradle to grave. Central bankers like the Federal Reserve, which isn't part of the federal government, shouldn't have the power to manipulate the worth of our currency and thus our way of life. His position is that we shouldn't police the world or unconstitutionally interfere through bureaucracies like the CIA. Only Congress has the power to declare war. Plus, we can't afford it anyway. We don't need the IRS harassing American citizens and taking our hard earned money and sending it out for destinations unknown. In fact, let's eliminate it. We'll pay for it by bringing home our soldiers from around the world, saving over a trillion dollars. While you're giving us our taxed dollars back, we'd also like you to return those civil liberties you've been whittling away at so you can give lucrative contracts to the homeland security/military industrial sector company you're going to quit the government to start, run, or lobby for.

Much is said about the national constituency of Ron Paul, more often than not describing them as "young 9-11 truthers," or "hillbilly Libertarian whackos," but the campaign that Ron Paul has built is a revolution, and it is growing. Ron Paul, despite being ignored by mainstream press, trounced republican opponents with over 18 million in grassroots fundraising last quarter alone. Rudy Guiliani could drop out after coming in third in Florida. Mike Huckabee doesn't have the funds to finish. John McCain, despite a voting record similar to Clinton, will most likely lead the delegate count with Romney trailing close behind. What will be the interesting story is Ron Paul staying in the race (he leads in fundraising, he also leads in contributions from active military personnel), bringing a significant enough number of delegates to the convention to possibly decide who becomes nominee. After canvassing in New Hampshire and South Carolina, I'll tell you that most people are undecided and will vote for whomever the tv tells them to. Ask Ron Paul supporters and they'll tell you that Ron Paul's success may not be seen by him gaining the most votes in this election, but his ability to positively influence the Republican party's platform now and in the future.

Doctor Paul is indeed curing apathy. In fact, listening to him speak, at times, can be like receiving a medical diagnosis. I had never been active in the political process. Nor had most the people I'd met for that matter. They were all just curious to hear this man with so many seemingly common sense ideas that the establishment branded radical. What's so radical about our Constitution? The Constitution was written to restrict the government, not the people. Give me a choice between three lawyers and an ex-Air Force flight surgeon that's delivered four thousand babies. I'll take the doctor anyday.

Comments

[RealAmerica]

Heath, thanks for a great article on WHY you support Ron Paul. Your reasons are pretty much the same reasons that I have to support him. I'm glad you were able to look past the issues like abortion, that are distractions from the very serious issues such as Iraq, Habeas Corpus, civil liberties, the destruction of the U.S. economy and U.S. national Sovereignty. Ron Paul seems to be the only candidate that is willing to talk about these serious issues....why?

[elleanee]

Thank you so much for this wonderful article. I'll be sending this to my Obama friends. I feel sorry for them because they're swayed by his charisma and looks. They don't care that he stands for nothing other than replacing an old, ugly white man with a younger, good-looking black man-"change you can believe in."

All of the candidates are about staying the Bush course but Ron Paul. He's the only one who hasn't taken money from special interests and therefore is not beholden to them. He's a maverick and that maverick is brave enough to buck the system and take it on headfirst.

Ron Paul inspires a passion that's real in his millions of grassroots supporters. The passion people feel for Obama is based purely on sex appeal. I don't mind sex appeal, but I'll take substance over sex appeal any day.

[RonLawl]

Oh great, another article that runs along the lines of "Ron Paul loves the constitution and is the new messiah, everyone who doesn't vote for him is a mindless sheep who hates the constitution." Why in the world should I trust an OBGYN who doesn't believe in evolution over the President of the Harvard Law Review who actually lectured on Constitutional Law? Because Ron Paul says we should? That doesn't make any sense. Ron Paul falsely claims that the constitution is replete with references to God, falsely claims that there is no basis for the separation of church and state, etc.

The problem with Paulbots is that they assume that everyone that disagrees with them is a "sheep", and then they build their recruitment tactics from that assumption. It doesn't dawn on them that people might have a valid reason for opposing Ron Paul, like a genuine difference of opinion. The other Paulbots will pat you on the back for this article, the general population not so much.

http://ronpaulsurvivalreport.blogspot.com/2008/02/rise-of-ron-paul-democrat.html

[phoobaar]

Democrats spend so much energy bashing Ron Paul because he reminds them of their own lack of principled integrity.

Iraq has been conveniently replaced by the economy in this primary race because the Democrats have been outdone by a Republican on "their" issue.

Then again, they had Kucinich, who would seem to be their ultimate "progressive" candidate (sorry, I always wrap that term in quotes, because it is laughable to equate socialism with progress), but they shunned him.

Why?

Because the Democrats want a pandering centrist like Clinton, just as the GOP establishment wants a pandering centrist like McCain.

Clinton vs McCain: a race with no substantive disagreement.* How sweet. Completely devoid of healthy debate, but sweet.

*(Clinton will _not_ subject herself to the backlash of a withdrawal from Iraq.)

[Stirner]

Thanks Mr. Calvert! I just finished reading Russell Shaw's blog. He's one of those tough Rambo-typists. He declared that I was an "idiot" for supporting Ron Paul. I wonder if Russell would say that to my face? Yoh!

[splashy]

Hmm, very good points, and he has some good ideas.

If he weren't so against women having full reproductive rights it would help.

But, alas, he wants to force women to give birth against their will, or let others do so. That's a deal breaker for me.

[Allegiance]

Thank you Mr. Calvert! I love reading about people
hearing Paul for the first time and waking up. For me, it was like walking out of a smoke-filled bar into fresh spring air. I've never heard anyone like him; you can sense the honesty coming from this man. Although I've always voted, it was for the lesser of the 2 evils; no more. I'm going to my caucus for the first time ever, and want to become a delegate.
If he's not nominated, I'm writing him in.

[jsffive]

Google "Fractional Reserve Banking", and learn about the scam.

[PongGod]

Thank you for saying it, Mr. Calvert! Freedom is the concept that can once again bring Americans together.

[PGW72]

It bothers me to no end how Ron Paul haters are quick to call him names or discredit him and his backers as loons, but never offer any specifics. Only generalities, such as his "fiscal policies have been discredited'... Wait a minute, they haven't, it's socialism and other forms of collectivism that have been proven wrong. Look at the old Soviet Union, or the results Hugo Chavez is getting. If you can't speak in facts or can't back up your name calling, then leave it for the AOL high school boards, not any serious boards.

[chordchaser]

First, thanks for the article. It's a refreshing change to read someone's opinion based on their own experiences and knowledge, rather than regurgitating popular media accounts.

Second, a call to reason.
Ron Paul has been warning of our precarious economic situation for years. And he understands the root causes: flawed monetary policy, and a government that’s been overspending so long it doesn’t even recognize sound fiscal policy. Dr. Paul has frequently confronted Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke on inflationary practices that result in the debasement of our dollar and harm the middle class and the poor.

Ron Paul voted against the Iraq war and the Patriot Act, warning congress they were making a critical mistake. He spoke up before we entered Iraq, demanding congress follow the Constitution and declare war, attempting to prevent a rush to war that would entangle us, add to our economic decline, and further motivate our enemies.

Instead, congress relinquished their responsibility, unconstitutionally passing that authority to the president. Now, the very same people who didn’t listen, and continue to fund the war, are citing their opposition to war as a reason to vote for them.

Meanwhile, multi-billion dollar corporations with a direct interest in the results of elections focus on candidates that either don’t understand economics or benefit by government largess related to these policies.

Our “top-tier” choices are approved by General Electric, Time-Warner, and News Corporation.

Americans are the only people left in the world who are fooled by America.

[Andrew1976]

If Ron Paul is "radical," the average American is more terrified and timid that I'd imagined.

You should consider this fact: deregulation does not mean that the rule of law does not still apply.

When you have the ever burgeoning, centrallized money pit of beauracracy that we now do in D.C., this allows corporatism and mercantilism to run rampant. Disagree? Why fight wars for oil? Answer: mercantilism. Why aren't property rights protected? Answer: corporatism. True free market capitalism (something we have not had for well over 100 years) flatly rejects both mercantilism, corporatism. Free market capitalism is the only system, under the rule of law - such as the one we were intended to have - that protects individual rights and property rights.

Democrats (and now repubs.) are still clinging to the flawed ideal that "we need to make the government big and powerful so that If the RIGHT person were in charge, then everything would be great!" Hello? THE PEOPLE are supposed to be in charge, with governing power disbursred safely among the states.

Power corrupts. The more power you centrallize in D.C, the more that the corrupt will be drawn to it, the more it will corrupt those in power, ie: less freedom for you and me. There is no benevolent dictator. The solution is to have as little government as possible, strictly hemmed in by the rule of law, small enough to be manageable and uncorruptable as possible to minimize influence from the corrupt, the lazy, and the busybodied.

Big business is not possible without the help of big gov't, and vice versa. We have a seperation of church and state because both tend to corrupt the other when intertwined. The exact same can be said of economics and state.
Again, look around you. Iraq war? Eminent domain abuse? Domestic spying programs? Total abuse of property rights? Squashed competition? Endless taxation which pays (truly) nothing except interest on a multi-trillion dollar debt? - money borrowed from China, Saudia Arabia.

History, quite fortunately, is overwhelmingly on mine and Ron Paul's side of the argument.

[hcbrand]

Excellent article. Thank you.

One of my favorite analogies from Dr. Paul is in a truly free society, if a group of people want to form a socialist community, no one would mind, however, in a socialist society, if I decide to be free from paying taxes, for example, I will go to jail. In the post-terrorist attack society, I could possibly just dissappear.

Of course, I'm paraphrasing Dr. Paul's analogy.

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"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies . . If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around . . will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered ... The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly
belongs."
--Thomas Jefferson

“The military-industrial complex, the biased media, the big banks, the Fed, the waterboarders, and the IRS don’t like what we’re doing. But every good American is applauding us, and daring to hope for a better future.”
--Ron Paul

[Pyrum]

Heath Calvert, I support Ron Paul too, for the same reasons you do. Thank you for your post.

It's amazing to me the lengths people will go through to bash Ron Paul and then insist he's not a threat anyway because he has no chance at the presidency. What are they so afraid of?