This is true, but the conversion may only be temporary.
I recall voting for Dr Paul back in 1988 (when I was a Reagan Republican) after reading his book, “Freedom Under Siege.” That’s my earliest exposure I can recall to libertarianism. I read his writings over the years which helped lead me to Mises, Rothbard, etc. and market anarchism. It was a step by step process.
Dr Paul’s campaign may well plant the seeds of liberty (albeit within the confines of statism) among people who would otherwise not be inspired to such a revelation. There’s no doubt this campaign is showing what an effective teacher he is- and why I always thought his time would be better spent doing just that, rather than wasting it in the political process.
Once he is defeated or assassinated (which just might occur if his campaign becomes too successful) his supporters may rightfully become disillusioned with the political process and the state in general. Many will be bright enough to see no alternative but to reject the state and its “advance auction of stolen goods.” If, by a miracle, he is elected his supporters will witness how the statist elites brutally attack, slander and destroy any attempt to restore even the smallest shred of individual liberty in this country. That experience should give them the realization that even a good man cannot change an inherently evil institution.
Yeah, I used to think pretty much the same thing, Roger, that at least Paul is preaching freedom to people who usually don’t hear that gospel very much, and maybe they’ll eventually open themselves up to more radical libertarianism as a result. That may yet be true, but the more I read about him and his positions, the more disturbed I’m becoming that he’s being popularly perceived as any kind of a representative of the libertarian movement.
Even for a minarchist, he takes some stands that I find hard to take. He seems to understand the folly of US intervention in Iraq, yet he always makes sure that people know he voted for the invasion of Afghanistan. Granted, he said he did so in order to go after the alleged al-Qaeda network in that country, but why would someone so skeptical of gov’t solutions have any confidence in the US gov’t to capture anyone who might actually have participated in terrorism? Most of the guys that were caught there and shipped off to Guantanomo Bay were just ordinary guys randomly rounded up by the Northern Alliance, who were being paid to do this by Uncle Sam and so had every incentive to say that anyone who looked at them wrong was “al-Qaeda.” Military intervention in other countries is ALWAYS folly, not just in Iraq. I can’t help but get the impression that he points out his vote for the Afghan War so that he doesn’t appear totally “unelectable” to Republican voters.
Then there’s his stand on immigration. He can see the injustice of government intervention in almost every other arena of human action, but yet he thinks it should be empowered to decide which foreigners should and should not be allowed to stay, and for how long.
I recently read that he’s introduced a bill defining conception as the beginning of life. My goodness, what a horrifying example of legal positivism. Truth is defined by government law? Is he serious? What would he think if some years after his bill passed, Congress decided to amend his law to define birth as the beginning of life? Or to amend it to define the age of two as the “beginning of life?” This is the kind of slippery slope we slide on when we decide that gov’t law defines truth, regardless of the original intentions. There are other minarchists who undertand this. But what else to expect from someone who thinks the US constitution was “divinely inspired”?
This all begs an important question: People may be drawn to him because “freedom is popular,” as Paul has said, but do they see “freedom” as their freedom to kick out funny-talking brown-skinned foreigners and decide by democratic process the facts of nature?
I can see the concern. I think his stance on Afghanistan is misguided and his immigration policies, though properly explained as a government problem when he speaks, are hypocritical and misguided as well as he calls for government action to solve a problem he admits is CAUSED by the same governments subsidy??? Additionally, his good for the goose is good for the gander approach to pet projects in his district, is a bit off base. Yes the government takes a lot more money then it gives back to your district Dr.Paul, but taking from the government coffers only violates the constitutional “limits” you claim to uphold.
However, I think its safe to say he is a danger to the status quo of political control and a legitimate force of decentralization which I myself view as one means to help break the state (division/erosion of collective power and that time honored American tradition of secession). For that reason, he will never take office.
However, I do believe Dr.Paul has planted a seed of liberty leaning thought back into many of the American youth. Perhaps we will see more Jeffersonian and Patrick Henry types of politicians in the future as a result? As far as governments CAN be tolerated or preferred, I would prefer those anti-federalist/confederate sort of minds of the past to the ever creeping nationalistic socialism that tightens its grip everyday on the minds of the youth. I suppose you can say I hope for the decay of state power through growing favoritism of liberty.
I do not know others opinions on the subject, but I think the road to radical libertarianism, the road to liberty, is a journey. For me it started in the Republicrat party ironically, led me to Libertarian party, pushed me to the more extreme libertarians, led to conversation with Minarchists, and finally ended where I am today after much reading and elaboration of that INITIAL injection of freedom. That is how it was for me and many others I know… And I HOPE that is how it could be for many other young Americans.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
This is true, but the conversion may only be temporary.
I recall voting for Dr Paul back in 1988 (when I was a Reagan Republican) after reading his book, “Freedom Under Siege.” That’s my earliest exposure I can recall to libertarianism. I read his writings over the years which helped lead me to Mises, Rothbard, etc. and market anarchism. It was a step by step process.
Dr Paul’s campaign may well plant the seeds of liberty (albeit within the confines of statism) among people who would otherwise not be inspired to such a revelation. There’s no doubt this campaign is showing what an effective teacher he is- and why I always thought his time would be better spent doing just that, rather than wasting it in the political process.
Once he is defeated or assassinated (which just might occur if his campaign becomes too successful) his supporters may rightfully become disillusioned with the political process and the state in general. Many will be bright enough to see no alternative but to reject the state and its “advance auction of stolen goods.” If, by a miracle, he is elected his supporters will witness how the statist elites brutally attack, slander and destroy any attempt to restore even the smallest shred of individual liberty in this country. That experience should give them the realization that even a good man cannot change an inherently evil institution.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Yeah, I used to think pretty much the same thing, Roger, that at least Paul is preaching freedom to people who usually don’t hear that gospel very much, and maybe they’ll eventually open themselves up to more radical libertarianism as a result. That may yet be true, but the more I read about him and his positions, the more disturbed I’m becoming that he’s being popularly perceived as any kind of a representative of the libertarian movement.
Even for a minarchist, he takes some stands that I find hard to take. He seems to understand the folly of US intervention in Iraq, yet he always makes sure that people know he voted for the invasion of Afghanistan. Granted, he said he did so in order to go after the alleged al-Qaeda network in that country, but why would someone so skeptical of gov’t solutions have any confidence in the US gov’t to capture anyone who might actually have participated in terrorism? Most of the guys that were caught there and shipped off to Guantanomo Bay were just ordinary guys randomly rounded up by the Northern Alliance, who were being paid to do this by Uncle Sam and so had every incentive to say that anyone who looked at them wrong was “al-Qaeda.” Military intervention in other countries is ALWAYS folly, not just in Iraq. I can’t help but get the impression that he points out his vote for the Afghan War so that he doesn’t appear totally “unelectable” to Republican voters.
Then there’s his stand on immigration. He can see the injustice of government intervention in almost every other arena of human action, but yet he thinks it should be empowered to decide which foreigners should and should not be allowed to stay, and for how long.
I recently read that he’s introduced a bill defining conception as the beginning of life. My goodness, what a horrifying example of legal positivism. Truth is defined by government law? Is he serious? What would he think if some years after his bill passed, Congress decided to amend his law to define birth as the beginning of life? Or to amend it to define the age of two as the “beginning of life?” This is the kind of slippery slope we slide on when we decide that gov’t law defines truth, regardless of the original intentions. There are other minarchists who undertand this. But what else to expect from someone who thinks the US constitution was “divinely inspired”?
This all begs an important question: People may be drawn to him because “freedom is popular,” as Paul has said, but do they see “freedom” as their freedom to kick out funny-talking brown-skinned foreigners and decide by democratic process the facts of nature?
July 27th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I can see the concern. I think his stance on Afghanistan is misguided and his immigration policies, though properly explained as a government problem when he speaks, are hypocritical and misguided as well as he calls for government action to solve a problem he admits is CAUSED by the same governments subsidy??? Additionally, his good for the goose is good for the gander approach to pet projects in his district, is a bit off base. Yes the government takes a lot more money then it gives back to your district Dr.Paul, but taking from the government coffers only violates the constitutional “limits” you claim to uphold.
However, I think its safe to say he is a danger to the status quo of political control and a legitimate force of decentralization which I myself view as one means to help break the state (division/erosion of collective power and that time honored American tradition of secession). For that reason, he will never take office.
However, I do believe Dr.Paul has planted a seed of liberty leaning thought back into many of the American youth. Perhaps we will see more Jeffersonian and Patrick Henry types of politicians in the future as a result? As far as governments CAN be tolerated or preferred, I would prefer those anti-federalist/confederate sort of minds of the past to the ever creeping nationalistic socialism that tightens its grip everyday on the minds of the youth. I suppose you can say I hope for the decay of state power through growing favoritism of liberty.
I do not know others opinions on the subject, but I think the road to radical libertarianism, the road to liberty, is a journey. For me it started in the Republicrat party ironically, led me to Libertarian party, pushed me to the more extreme libertarians, led to conversation with Minarchists, and finally ended where I am today after much reading and elaboration of that INITIAL injection of freedom. That is how it was for me and many others I know… And I HOPE that is how it could be for many other young Americans.
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