Just from scanning google news on Ron Paul over the last couple of weeks it seems like the message is getting out. Didn’t see this one linked here.
The fact that young people are RP’s largest supporters is extremely important, IMO. I also think that if RP doesn’t win the GOP nomination he has a very serious shot at attracting historically unprecedented support running as an independent which – even if he doesn’t win – would change the course of history for the better. I’d venture an estimate that up to 50% of previous Obama supporters are latent RP supporters that could be converted with only minimal economic (liberty) education.
There was some show that was disparaging Ron Paul because according to them, “Half of Ron Paul supporters believe he will reveal that the government was involved in 911.” What a croc.
As RP’s positions are being widely understood and increasingly supported, the brainwashed “reasonable center” – which has been labeling him as a fringe lunatic – has to start inventing (luying about) increasingly outlandish claims about him lest they be forced to retract their label.
That’s what I thought, too. Notice how RP supporters (Austrians. Btw, anyone from here perhaps?) mow down brainwashed drones with class and style in the comments section.
As I’m writing this, NPR (radio) is raising the issue of the Fed saying how they’ve received similar tweets on the issue both from Denis Kucinic (most progressive) and Rand Paul (libertarian). They are also noticing how this issue unites OWS with the Tea Party. This paradigm of thinking outside the stale left/right, dem/repub dichotomy is gathering some serious momentum and that’s hitting smack in the middle of prime Ron Paul territory!
It might be a media fad. After all, most people just don’t care. Notice that they don’t vote. And I doubt it’s simply impossible for 50% of the public to vote.
Regarding a Paul independent run, a while back I read (probably in LRC blog?) about a contigency plan being setup for Paul to run as an independent by some group but I can’t recall the name of them. Would like to check their status now but I’m lost on where to look.
I do remember them promoting a ‘twin tier’ platform something like 10% tax on individuals and corps. and a 10% annual budget reduction repeating year after year or something like that?
I skimmed through all of the 500+ comments from the OP link. One poster “Marc G” (proclaiming to be far left, socialist, marxist, anarchist, etc.) writes that everyone on the far left should be voting for Ron Paul because he’s advocating for a weaker state/government, and since (Marx says) that capitalism can not exist without government, a Ron Paul presidency could mean the death of capitalism (?!) which is their ultimate goal.
The far left thinks they can use RP as means toward their predicted end (no capitalism). RP could use the far left’s votes as means toward his predicted end (a presidency, a more genuine capitalism). A win-win pact without even having to sit at one table and negotiate anything?
That’s what I always thought we should do. Just make the goal shrinking the state and let all who agree join hands. No reason to narrow the coalition if shrinking the state will achieve everyone’s goals all by itself. There’s the small matter of the left being wrong about the outcome, but what do we care?
I think it is a large matter of the left trying to state anything coherent at all. They like to be active in politics for the sake of leftism, and refuse to form any thought, just “deconstruction” and “subverion” techniques - whatever that may mean.
Simple facts remain: The left is more en vogue than we are, by a long shot. Their language is more polite, standard, and institutionalized. In so much as their fashion/custom is relevant they will never look down to a less fahionable word / culture set. And we can’t blame them, no one in their right mind would give up their comparative advantage and social subsidies on their own.
