We’ve seen it in movies a handful of times now; some longshot candidate who wants to stir things up enters a race for office and turns the system upside-down. Inevitably in these films, the longshot character wins, therefore instilling us with democratic pride that we can be truly represented by who we choose. This is not the case with Ron Paul.
Ron Paul is a Libertarian in Republican clothing. It’s an impressive act of subterfuge and he has lasted longer than any pundit thought he would, but it appears America is not ready for another nut from Texas. In the YouTube debates, when Anderson Cooper was asking the Republican candidates which governmental programs were deadweight, the seven candidates running against Ron Paul dodged the question, even praising all departments for their hard work. But when Cooper asked Ron Paul what he would axe, Paul answered without hesitation: Department of Energy, Department of Education, and Department of Homeland Security.
Is Ron Paul crazy? Energy, Education, and Homeland Security? Don’t we need those things? According to statistics and polls, probably not. Even with our empirical Department of Energy, we are the most wasteful country on the planet. Department of Homeland Security? Professional fearmongers. And we only need to ask any given teacher what they think of No Child Left Behind if we want a good idea of how well the Department of Education is going over.
Ron Paul is against the Iraq war. He is pro choice. He accepts gays. Is this type of logic even allowed near the White House anymore? Certainly he raised eyebrows with declaring he would rid the workforce of income tax; but in his own Libertarian way, it is his way of being the people’s champion. Ron Paul wants to give power back to the state. He actually wants to reduce the power of the executive branch. He wants to come in to power just so he can give it away? That is certainly the message that he preaches and his congressional voting record is consistent. So what are we to make of a man who wants power, but doesn’t quite fit with our Republican / Democrat dichotomy?
For better or for worse, it is not a question anyone seriously has to worry about. Ron Paul is dead last amongst the remaining four Republicans, and is not longer even covered by the news. He proved himself a master fundraiser and an idealist, but little else. Ron Paul has been embraced wholeheartedly by college students who think that bleeding heart liberals aren’t soft enough; but if you ask anyone off these campuses who Ron Paul is, the answer will invariably be Who?
4 comments:
In my opinion, one of the worst things about our political system is that the parties are too well defined and set in stone. Either you are a republican embracing all the republican ideals, you are a democrat who is the shining example of liberals, or you are someone with new ideas that has no fighting chance of winning. Really, think about it, if you ask the average American about the candidates, they will mention the republicans and the democrats. Some probably don't even realize that anyone without one of those labels can even run. Because of this, candidates are forced to shoehorn themselves into one of these pre-defined categories of dumbo or ass, or not be taken seriously. sad.
I like you analysis of Ron Paul's opinions regarding power (and more specifically, that seemingly arbitrary power accumulated by one's simple act of sitting behind a desk in the Oval Office). It appears that Ron Paul might not subscribe to the notion held by other contemporary politicians: that one DESERVES some hemorrhaging amount of power because...? Because America has degraded into some aristocratic state in which the power position of presidency is passed along through blood (or marriage) like brown eyes...or, some VD?
Logic will always be doomed in politics because we vote with our heart, and politicians know this. They know this because they are voters too.
Plus, it is hard to win an audience over with new ideas because they are so wrapped up in their old ones. This is a bad example but here it goes: Hitler wasn't exterminating Europe, he was beautifying Germany, and either way you look at it his ideas were still the same. Ahh, isn't that sweet? It’s like candy, and it hits you in the heart.
The main topic among the candidates is generally change. I admire Ron Paul's boldness for planning to axe the departments that don't work. That's the most effective way to change anything. It's bold enough to attract attention, which is the only way the long-shot could go anywhere.
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