Why Republican Leadership Should Support Ron Paul
My experiences over the past few months have shown me that there are many misconceptions about what it is to be a Republican. It doesn't help that many of these misconceptions are propagated at the hands of the left for political gain, and that your average American doesn't have a working knowledge of basic political science; however, that is an argument for another day. I've considered myself many things as I've slogged through the mud these twenty-nine years trying to identify my political and philosophical beliefs. I used to belief that it was me who changed labels as I shifted from Republican to Libertarian to Republican to Anarchist to Libertarian and around and around again. Now I know that my ideals have been consistent, it's society's that have changed.
First and foremost I believe in the supremacy of the individual above the state. The constitution was written to protect the individual from the tyranny that is inherent in any government and any state authority. The Republican party believes this when it comes to some issues, but changes its mind when it comes to spying on us, and sending boys over seas. The common myth is that your average Republican is in sync with the wiles of the Bush administration and McCain's war drums. What I realize now, though my campaigning to be a RNC delegate and through my volunteerism in the MN GOP is that most Republicans do not follow the Neocon agenda. Most republicans are like me.
On Saturday while I was attending the 5th Congressional District Republican Convention, I shook hundreds of peoples hands and spoke to them. There were some cranky folks who asked me who I would support if I was elected as a delegate, and of course I answered. But, there were far more people, even a majority of people who praised me for what I was doing. Some of these people were even party insiders. When our Ron Paul friendly candidates ran for delegate and alternate delegate positions we took then swiftly and easily. Ron Paul folks knew who we where, but outspoken Ron Paul voters were not in the majority. I know this, because one guy who ran as an alternate, gave a two minutes rant on how he would never support McCain, he would not support the party unless they supported Ron Paul etc. Needless to say, he didn't get a majority. The rest of us did.
This suggests that there are a lot more Ron Paul supporters within the GOP than it seems, and these supporters aren't just Libertarians or party infiltrators but life long Republicans who are mighty angry at the direction the party and our nation seem to be headed.
To be fair, Congressional District 5 has some fantastic GOP leadership (Carleton Crawford, Bob Olson), and my BPOU has a fantastic chair (Barry Hickethier). We may or may not see eye to eye, but they are more than fair, they are welcoming and they want to grow the party. However, I think things at the state level might be a bit different. When Tim Pawlenty and Norm Coleman spoke, they knew who they were addressing and they urged party uniformity. They told us to support McCain no matter what, as it was better than electing a Democrat to the presidency. Wasn't that what we did with Bush?
Nationwide Republican Party membership is down. The Democratic party is the dominant party and it really scares me. I'm putting my time in to support the GOP and sure, to try to get Ron Paul into the White House, because I believe in the Founders vision of America. As Ron Paul's campaign has proven there are a lot of enthusiastic young people out there who feel the same way, and some of them are even running for state and local offices. The GOP Party Leadership needs to welcomes these people and give Ron Paul a fair shot. He is the true lifeblood of the party and his supporters can strengthen and bring the party back to it's roots.
First and foremost I believe in the supremacy of the individual above the state. The constitution was written to protect the individual from the tyranny that is inherent in any government and any state authority. The Republican party believes this when it comes to some issues, but changes its mind when it comes to spying on us, and sending boys over seas. The common myth is that your average Republican is in sync with the wiles of the Bush administration and McCain's war drums. What I realize now, though my campaigning to be a RNC delegate and through my volunteerism in the MN GOP is that most Republicans do not follow the Neocon agenda. Most republicans are like me.
On Saturday while I was attending the 5th Congressional District Republican Convention, I shook hundreds of peoples hands and spoke to them. There were some cranky folks who asked me who I would support if I was elected as a delegate, and of course I answered. But, there were far more people, even a majority of people who praised me for what I was doing. Some of these people were even party insiders. When our Ron Paul friendly candidates ran for delegate and alternate delegate positions we took then swiftly and easily. Ron Paul folks knew who we where, but outspoken Ron Paul voters were not in the majority. I know this, because one guy who ran as an alternate, gave a two minutes rant on how he would never support McCain, he would not support the party unless they supported Ron Paul etc. Needless to say, he didn't get a majority. The rest of us did.
This suggests that there are a lot more Ron Paul supporters within the GOP than it seems, and these supporters aren't just Libertarians or party infiltrators but life long Republicans who are mighty angry at the direction the party and our nation seem to be headed.
To be fair, Congressional District 5 has some fantastic GOP leadership (Carleton Crawford, Bob Olson), and my BPOU has a fantastic chair (Barry Hickethier). We may or may not see eye to eye, but they are more than fair, they are welcoming and they want to grow the party. However, I think things at the state level might be a bit different. When Tim Pawlenty and Norm Coleman spoke, they knew who they were addressing and they urged party uniformity. They told us to support McCain no matter what, as it was better than electing a Democrat to the presidency. Wasn't that what we did with Bush?
Nationwide Republican Party membership is down. The Democratic party is the dominant party and it really scares me. I'm putting my time in to support the GOP and sure, to try to get Ron Paul into the White House, because I believe in the Founders vision of America. As Ron Paul's campaign has proven there are a lot of enthusiastic young people out there who feel the same way, and some of them are even running for state and local offices. The GOP Party Leadership needs to welcomes these people and give Ron Paul a fair shot. He is the true lifeblood of the party and his supporters can strengthen and bring the party back to it's roots.
posted by Corey at
2:11 AM
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