Ron Paulian Rhetoric...

Ron Paul rally at Union Station in Kansas City, MO

I had the opportunity to see Ron Paul at a rally in Kansas City tonight at Union Station. One of the things I have noticed about the crowds of people that support Ron Paul in comparison to those that support other candidates is the rhetoric. Even in chants which in most cases tend to be the epitome of mindless agreement have far more substance than in other campaigns. In the re-election of George W. Bush we heard things like "FOUR MORE YEARS" and with Barack Obama, we were subjected to "O-BA-MA" and "YES WE CAN" which were rooted in nothing but demagoguery and campaign propaganda. At best, phrases such as "yes we can" were at least cleverly thought out to be malleable to whichever point of view the person participating in the chant held. 

Take those phrases and contrast them to those such as "END THE FED", "RON PAUL REVOLUTION; GIVE US BACK OUR CONSTITUTION" and "BRING THEM HOME" which are all chants that are substantive and have some actual depth to them and you will see a stark difference. Those chants are also backed with actual knowledge of current events and familiarity with our political system and the Constitution. At other campaigns you might find someone that knows a thing or two about the constitution but beyond rattling off portions of the preamble and a couple amendments, you would be hard-pressed to find people who could explain how the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki and other US citizens was a violation of the Executive powers and how it was a bad moment in our countries history for our civil liberties. I believe it would be equally challenging to receive and explanation of how the Federal Reserve act is a violation of our constitution. 

You can take that even further and contrast the kind of literature that people read at these events. You can count on finding a handful of people at any Romney or Gingrich rally that have either read or at least familiar with the latest book of their candidate but by far, the Ron Paul supporters have more often read several Ron Paul books and did not stop at the literature of their candidate. You will find people familiar with the works of F.A. Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Andrew Napolitano, Ayn Rand and the list goes on and on. 

In my experience, the knowledge of Ron Paul supporters goes far beyond, media talking points as heard on television and talk radio. It seems that even the group chants heard at a Ron Paul rally cannot be confined to the limits of the herd mentality that it so often accompanies and much transcend that by actually containing a meaningful message! Kudos to Ron Paul supporters for educating yourselves.  I can only hope that as the cause of Liberty trends upward in popularity, that people continue this habit of self-education. It can only bring about better things! 

It's All About the Delegates, Baby!

Ron Paul has yet to take first place in any primary this year. Contrary to what you might believe about the primary process, none of that may matter! That is because while the other candidates have been marketing themselves with all the right buzzwords, written by only the best political consultants and focus groups designed to draw maximum turn out, Ron Paul has been educating his base about the part of the process that matters. That would be the delegates!

In some cases, Ron Paul has come in 3rd place and still walked away with all of the available delegates! For example, in the precinct of Larimer County, Colorado, Ron Paul placed second with about 30 percent of the vote compared to Santorum with 53%.  Ron Paul walked away with all delegates and Santorum might as well have came in last place!

While Ron Paul is being scoffed at as a kooky and fringe candidate, he is orchestrating a brilliant campaign and utilizing a well educated voting base to win the election against all odds. The mainstream Republicans may be laughing now about these primary results but the "Paul-tards" might have the last laugh when it comes time to tally up the delegates!

Don't lose heart at the sight of these primary results. Often times they are non-binding and mean absolutely nothing. Remain vigilant and when you show up to cast a vote for Liberty, be ready to volunteer as a delegate which is what really matters! Let the words of Samuel Adams ring true!

"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen onsetting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."

Don't Run Against Obama...

It seems to me that people are making a huge mistake when buying into the notion that this election is about getting Barack Obama out of office. Mainly because when we reduce the issues from ideology to men, it does the democratic process a great disservice. People do not seem to think through with whom we would replace him  and tend to be happy with whoever can simply defeat him.

Barack Obama signing NDAA into law

In reality, Obama has not been much different from George W. Bush.  Both candidates voted for huge stimulus spending, expanded the role of government in healthcare, over-extended the military and signed legislation into law that compromises the liberties afforded us by habeas corpus (e.g. N.D.A.A. and the Patriot Act). There are many more things I am sure they have in common that I could spend all day on but the point is that we apparently have not learned our lesson with George W. Bush.  We are poised to elect Mitt Romney who would be just like the two previous presidents (Obama and Bush) if not worse.  The ideology between the field of G.O.P. establishment candidates and that of our past 4 presidents is not significantly different.

The ideological impact of replacing our incumbent president with Gingrich, Romney or Santorum would be the equivalent of replacing Communism with Fascism. All of the current contenders with the exception of Ron Paul have "plans" to fix every problem while all along it has been the plans that are the problem.  As long as we keep electing men who think they have the answer to the problem, we'll only be making it worse.  This idea that we can use the government to fix all of our problems is in reality the root of them! Ron Paul is the only candidate who is running on the idea that we take power away from the government and let people live life the way they see fit! No matter how good a politicians promise sounds it is only a recipe for tyranny when it involves government action in place of individual autonomy as government action naturally does!  We need a passive government that will allow us to take care of ourselves. Ron Paul is the only candidate who truly embraces that ideology!

Dr. Ron Paul

When we make an election about voting the incumbent out we lose sight of the issues and create fertile grounds for intellectual dishonesty. We embrace one man who will do the same things that we hated in another and give into a double standard.  The hypocrisy has to stop one day and it will. Whether it comes because our system has collapsed and can no longer be sustained or because we have had an awakening of people who are no longer willing to vote for a party or a man but insist on electing an ideology.

Ron Paul Could Destroy the Two Party System...

Ron Paul could destroy the very flawed two party political system. If he were to win the Republican nomination and in turn the presidency, he could then run as a Libertarian or and Independent. An incumbent president running against two other parties with the ideologies of Ron Paul would cause panic in both parties! He strongly appeals to the fiscal conservatives in the Republican party and just as strongly appeals to the Democrats who vote based on civil liberties. This sort of scenario could easily play out splitting the vote 3 ways and if he won re-election it would give credit to alternative parties such as Constitutionalists and Libertarians.

Wouldn't you just love to see establishment politicians bouncing off the walls in panic to posture themselves to garner support from not just one person but two people running against them? I believe that atmosphere would change our current process from that of a popularity contest into more a of a refining procedure. Politicians would more easily be seen as the demogouges they are and the more honest ones would stand out in contrast as would be expected when you have more choices.

I remember being told in political science classes that a two party system is far better than a mult-party system. After taking the time to research I was confronted with the election of Abraham Lincoln. The election of 1860 was one of the most important in our nations history in which Lincoln ran against not one party, not two parties but three parties! A four party race is what unfolded and the we elected Abraham Lincoln who is thought to be one of the greatest presidents in our nations history. If more Abraham Lincolns are what we have to look forward to with multiple parties, I cannot wait. I look forward to expanding our political options and limiting the options of tyranny. I look forward to voting for Ron Paul and hope that he does make a third party run in his re-election campaign. 

Let's redistribute our wealth to Israel...

Some of the most ludicrous logic I have come across in listening to talk radio conservatives lately is that we cannot vote for Ron Paul because he would stop giving aid to Israel. For some reason all support for private charity and opposition to the Marxist ideology of re-distributive wealth just go flying out the window. What is most astounding about it is that even the most constitutional and paleo-conservative types practice this ignorance.

From a personal level, as a Christian, I see the need to support Israel.  The Bible clearly states that those who bless Israel will be blessed. That being said, how does it reflect on us if the only way we support Israel is through the government confiscating our money and paying it on our behalf? That is no more charitable or Christian than a man who steals from you at gun-point so he can give your money to the soup kitchen or put it in the offering plate. It makes neither the person who the money was stolen from or the robber any more moral.

It is quite frustrating to see so many people who can spot the Marxist ideology in every government program except for when it is in the foreign aid to Israel. I think if we really believe in Liberty, we need to stop giving up our individual duties and responsibilities up to the government. When we believe that we need to "stand with Israel" as Glenn Beck would put it, we need to put our money where our mouth is.