The Ron Paul r3VOLution is not going away; it has only just begun. Recent trends show that Democrats are defecting from their political party at much higher rates than previous election cycles. Republicans have seen waves of new voters registering to vote in the primaries, but the over-all trend is to lose registration as well. Self-identified Independents are rapidly growing. Since the 1970’s, America has slowly developed an ever more consistent and contentious 3rd Party. There have been flashes in the pan such as the Green Party rise of Ralph Nader & the independently wealthy Ross Perot with enough momentum to swing Presidential races, but the Libertarian Party has established itself as America’s 3rd largest political party.
Political shake-ups and new coalitions on a national scale are common in American history. The Democratic Party has shown blatantly that it only seeks to secure its’ own power through the growth of the welfare state. Let me be clear; President Obama is a Socialist Dictator. He must be voted out of office. Unfortunately, the Republican Party has given us less and less reason to vote for them either. A Corporatist Dictator is no better than the devil we have. In fact, the neo-conservatives on the progressive wing of the Republican Party would have us believe that we should give up our national sovereignty and Constitutional Republic for world-wide military empire under a President with unchecked War Powers (even on the homeland!). The old coalitions are splintering, and the r3VOLution is brewing. America is finding its’ voice again, and Ron Paul is tapping into it.
This is by no means a scientific analysis, but I’ve been struck by all of the different reasons people support Ron Paul coming from backgrounds where we’ve found ourselves diametrically opposed in the political spectrum in the past. It seems almost obvious to anyone I speak to that the political mood of the country is anti-establishment right now, as can be evidenced by record low Congressional approval ratings. A recent book entitled, “Throw Them All Out,” by Peter Schweizer has spent time in the top ten of the NY Times best-seller list. Another book which relates to the topic of this writing, but I have yet to read is, “The Declaration of Independents,” by Nick Gillespie & Matt Welch. My understanding is that it’s supposed to be about the rise of an independent movement with a strong libertarian flavor. I may be breaking protocol by mentioning a book I’ve yet to read, but at least the title and book description seem to be on the right track.
Within the Ron Paul r3VOLution, I’ve met and talked to people from a plethora of political backgrounds. I’ve talked to Republicans who just see Ron Paul as the obvious Republican in the race, and it’s as simple as that. I’ve met disenfranchised Republicans who think Ron Paul is just about the last Republican left in the Republican Party. There’s been former Republicans who have only come back to the party just because Ron Paul is running for President as a Republican. Civil liberties and anti-war advocates have even joined us from the left. Some Democrats who want to get our economic house in order so as to save Social Security & Medicare are supporting Ron Paul because they know that our current federal spending projections are financially insolvent, and Ron Paul is the only current Presidential candidate who is proposing any real cuts in spending that might save entitlements. Constitutionalists of all stripes constantly express to me their respect for Ron Paul and his long history of fidelity to the Constitution. I met a guy with Ron Paul car magnets on his truck at Home Depot who told me that he supports Ron Paul because Paul wants to quit treating Israel like a welfare state that we must police, and allow them to have their sovereignty along with our friendship and trade. Even the mainstream media hasn’t been able to blackout the fact that Ron Paul pulls more votes among independents than any of the other Presidential candidates. This skinny little old bean-counting Constitution nerd we know as Ron Paul is not striking a chord with American voters and threatening the establishment elites because he is handsome and charismatic; he’s shaking up the game because the message of a free, peaceful, & prosperous nation is familiar to the American r3VOLutionary spirit of liberty still alive in the people’s psyche.
Some have suggested that r3VOLutionaries are building on Ron Paul’s coalition so as to set up another run for the White House with another candidate much the same way as Barry Goldwater may be considered a fore-runner to Ronald Reagan. One does have to admit the prophecies of Ron Paul may make him seem like a proverbial John the Baptist crying in the wilderness to make a way for the savior, but that is a fundamental misunderstanding of what this r3VOLution is about. Ron Paul supporters may or may not get behind another Presidential candidate in the Republican Party in the future, but one fundamental reason many support Ron Paul is precisely because he is the only candidate in this race actually promoting the idea that Presidential and executive powers have grown beyond their Constitutional limitations and must be curbed. We already unseated a King in the American Revolution; we don’t need one now.
The Ron Paul r3VOLution is largely a group of Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Independents, Constitutionalists, & others who can all agree on one fundamental Right among each of us; the Right to disagree with our out-of-control government. Ron Paul is giving voice to those who have been pushed out of BOTH of the 2 major political parties. This election is the opportunity of the Republican Party to re-identify itself for Americans who ultimately just want an honest and transparent government which protects our Rights and otherwise basically leaves us alone to live out our lives as free people. If Ron Paul is not the Republican Presidential nominee to face B.H. Obama in the general election, it doesn’t mean we won’t have sway or that we are going to go away. We’ve planted our Gadsden flags and Ron Paul yard signs, and we’re not abandoning our posts….. period. Whether comparing the r3VOLution to the Goldwater surge, writing it off as an anomaly, or predicting where the momentum might go next, the only absolute certainty is that nobody knows for sure. Many Independents & Libertarians are well-known as people who like to write our own future. Where the r3VOLution goes next is up to us.
"Let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul
Preserve the sovereign Constitutional Republic. Balance the Budgets. End the Fed. End the Wars. Secure the Blessings of Liberty. Vote RON PAUL for President 2012!
- Adam G. House
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