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So Rand Paul has endorsed Mitt Romney. Where do we go from here? Read on.
After my initial anger and disappointment with Rand over the endorsement settled down, with a cooler head, as I thought about this a bit more, I am OK with this. Why?
This is no longer about a single candidacy or presidency for me anymore. This is about building a movement. This is about going mainstream with our ideas. I think there is a lot of merit in our ideas and I sincerely believe that it's the only way to fiscal solvency for USA so we don't go belly-up like Greece, and soon Spain, and later, other EU nations. The other road is to go fully socialistic like Europe, but I have no desire to live in such a country and the EU example has showed us that socialism doesn't work in the long run.
However vocal we, the Ron Paul supporters, have been, understand that we are still a minority in the big picture, and that's understandable. Ask yourself how and when you got active in politics. You cannot expect for new activists like us to outnumber faithful GOPers who have been active in politics for 20-30 years, overnight. It takes time, education, building bridges, and perseverance. I am willing to do it, and so should you. If you give up now, then all you have done so far would be for nothing.
Personally, I don't feel like lifting a finger to help any candidate who doesn't align with my principles of limited government, individual liberty etc, but it doesn't stop me from talking to and influencing the 65 year old senior sitting next to me waving an American flag. I WON'T vote for Romney, but I will support any candidate who aligns with the liberty principles - be it Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Constitution, Green, Blue, whatever. I want the government to leave me alone and stop harassing me and stop invading my wallet. That's all I want. Whoever is in line with this gets my support.
Think of Pat Robertson's candidacy in 1988. Pat didn't win, but the social conservatives who supported him later took over and remade the GOP into what it is today. Today, in the Republican party, you could be a zoologist, but you won't get elected as dog catcher if you are not staunchly pro-life and if you don't bash gays. If Pat had actually won in 1988 via a brokered convention, he would have faced resistance every step of the way from a belligerent Congress and an indifferent base. The same can be said of Dr. Paul now. I would rather have Dr. Paul concede the nomination to Romney and then us work to reshape the party, than us snatch the nomination from Romney in Tampa, using technicalities. (It's still theoretically possible, but I don't want to do it.) If we win the battle in Tampa, we might lose the war, but if we concede the battle in Tampa, we might actually win the war. It's OK to compromise politically, as long as you don't compromise your principles.
"Libertarianism" is a dirty word now, but I want it to be more accepting to the average Joe. Libertarianism is not about throwing the grandma out on the street by cutting their Social Security, but about actually about protecting the grandma's fixed income SS check by fighting inflation.
Be active in your local GOP. Run for office. Talk to people. Make them read the Constitution. Educate them about states rights. Do something. Anything!
We can win this war. Keep your eye on the long-term prize.
"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is." - Ronald Regan, 1975.
Well I think you will get a lot of heat for your post but I think your 'big picture/long term outlook' approach is the only way you will 'win the war'.I think both Ron and Rand Paul think so too.
Rand endorsed the exact opposite of freedom and liberty.
Yes, he did. At this point, we can justify it to ourselves that he was playing a political game and all that, but the takeaway from this for you is that YOU should fight for freedom and liberty for YOU, and not expect Ron or Rand to deliver it for you on a platter. We have understood the message, so we can now spread the message whether or not the original messengers are still around or not. They are imperfect messengers, and so are we, but the message is perfect.
The biggest threat to the elites, bankers and the Establishment is not Ron or Rand, but US. The Liberty Movement which took shape largely due to Ron Paul's candidacy is their biggest threat. If we remember how the Tea Party got co-opted, expect for the same thing to be attempted to the Liberty Movement. The Establishment will introduce players to infiltrate the movement and divide us. (Look up Kokesh's interview with Peggy Freeman and Justin Raimondo's article on Trgyve Olson and Benton.) The key is not to fall for it.
If Ron tells you tomorrow that we no longer need to worry about NDAA or the Patriot Act, are we going to immediately stop worrying about them? Hell, no. The message is out. We can now analyze each political/world event and decide if it works against or for liberty and the Constitution and act accordingly. Even Ron can't stop this now, and that is what he too wanted from the beginning anyway. If you have followed Ron's words closely, while he was very pleased with the attention these issues were receiving, he was never fully comfortable with the adulation he was receiving as a person and that is what makes him a great solon.
The Establishment would want nothing more than us getting bitter over these, fight, fracture and give up. Please let's not do that.
If you don't support the nominee of the party,you have no business being involved in the party.
Opinion noted, weighed, and rejected. I may not support Romney for POTUS, but there are candidates for liberty on the Republican ticket in the state and local elections.
This whole Rand "endorsement" is being way overblown in my opinion... Rand is just covering all bases as one of the establishment Republicans so he can bridge the gap for Ron Paul when he's President...
Just looking at the size of that post I could tell it was a Paul supporter.
Libertarian isn't a dirty word now. It's just that a lot of people, such as your average clueless Paul supporter, don't really know what libertarian means.
Excellent post, moving pains. Very thoughtful, and you might be right...but, as Lew Rockwell said, "You CAN'T change the Regime from the inside, any more than you can change the Mafia from the inside!" And seeing how the sheeple act, seeing what the Republican Party pulled throughout these primaries...he's right. It's all b.s. Nobody wants freedom. People want flashy slogans, perfect hair, dazzling smiles and b.s. It's evident all over this board alone. People do not want freedom. They actually LAUGH or mock it...they call it crazy. So forget it. Forget it. Nothing will ever change because the majority is about as bright as the inside of a horse's ass.
I haven't cooled down yet. I'm having a very difficult time cooling down.
Last edited by Three Wolves In Snow; 06-09-2012 at 07:06 PM..
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