The Ron Paul that Ron Paul Doesn’t Want You to Know
Ron Paul is hot in antiwar circles on account of his performance in the Republican presidential candidates debates as the only antiwar candidate in a field of Bushie super-hawks.
Every moderate, liberal, progressive, or left activist and every Democrat, Green, or independent voter should Read This before jumping onto the libertarian Republican bandwagon.
A Personal NotePersonally, I have always been skeptical about the so-called libertarian crowd. I grew up in the South and lived through the civil rights revolution and these "libertarians" never lifted a finger in opposition to the gross abuse of power by Southern segregationist city, county, and state governments.
In the 1970s when I was a student at the very "conservative" University of Virginia, "libertarianism"was the perfect refuge for guys who wanted to enjoy the new sexual and personal freedoms of the Sixties while simultaneously defending authoritarian Southern "tradition." Under the banner of "libertarianism" they could be against the Vietnam-era draft
and also against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They could claim the "right" to smoke pot and happily indulge recreational sex
and also the "right"of the State of Virginia to maintain V.M.I. as a all-male school and otherwise keep "the ladies "in their place without "interference" from "Big Gummint"
Here in California today, some old "libertarians" are the meanest, nastiest Mexican-haters.
Ron Paul is of that generation. It's good he's causing Republicans grief, but let’s not get carried away with the media moment. Read More at http://www.accgreens.org/gpga/?q=node/32
4 comments:
Ron Paul is not your typical libertarian by anybody's account. Folks from all over are finding they agree with most of what he says, though usually a different "most."
His speeches and essays are thoughtful and contradict accusations. They show who he is. The words in a newsletter long ago (where he momentarily lost control) are inconsistant with the real Paul.
very sad that ignorant bloggers like yourself are essentially spreading the same smear stories that the Rudy Giuliani campaign is peddling.
Besides Kucinich, Ron Paul is the only remotely good candidate. If you cant see this i feel deeply sorry for you.
There are several sources for Libertarian enthusiasm. One is a sort of anarcho-capitalism and the believe that unfettered competition is good for society. Many of these become Republicans when the seek power, as Dana Rohrabacher did when offered a job as a speech writer for Regan.
Maybe Ron Paul is different. He is a Republican who is moving in the opposition direction. Along the way, he is taking a few other Republican with him, for example Steve Greenhut, political columnist for the Orange County Register, who has proclaimed that he will remain registered Republican long enough to vote for Paul before re-registering Libertarian. I wonder which part of Paul's agenda he most strongly favors.
Still, I have to look at the fact that the particular strain of libertarianism that is prevalent in Orange County is more like the Jim Gilchrist's Minuteman sponsoring American Independent Party.
And your point is? Some republicans are racist bigots, hidding behind "conservative" values. Some democrats are people who would like to regulate industries in order to protect their companies and jobs from superior competition. Every idealogy has people who hide behind it like a shield, while eroding its principles. However, I think you'll find the other candidates do this to a much greater degree than Dr. Paul.
You'd notice this if you looked at both his actions and his words. He hates abortion, and thinks it is murder. Yet, he also does not think the federal government has any right to rule on it. He hates drugs and has only ever had one wife, yet he believes it is silly and counterproductive to outlaw things like drugs and prostitution. If you think he is racist, why does he cite Walter E. Williams as a friend and possible running-mate?
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