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Is Ron Paul Necessary to the Revolution?
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There has been a good amount of debate amongst Ron Paul supporters regarding what would happen if Paul loses in the primaries and decides not to run as a third party candidate. Would the “revolution” continue? Would another leader rise to pick up the torch in a subsequent election? Would the ripple effect of an awakened citizenry spill over into other elections, organizations, and causes?
While there surely has been a positive, secondary side effect from Ron Paul’s campaign—that of an active, informed group of citizens fighting for individual liberty against a bloated, quasi-tyrannical government—I believe that this revolution will be unparalleled by any future campaign or cause.
Ron Paul is a man thirty years in the making. You can’t grow a new leader in a couple years, for time is required to prove a man in all things. Having a spotless record and consistently voting on principle necessitates time “in the trenches” to fight for liberty before rising to the top to spread its message to others.
I believe that there are others, some of whom are unknown to most, that will rise in future elections to fight for liberty, defend the Constitution, and raise awareness amongst the electorate. But Ron Paul is a unique individual, three decades in the making, and we will not see his equal for a long time, if at all.
Some argue that if Paul loses, his supporters will continue to fight the cause on their own. Perhaps Paul would use his large database of supporters to continue the fight through alternative avenues. But I believe that every revolution requires a rallying point, and should Paul lose, any other initiatives would be relatively fruitless.
A cause needs a leader around which the people can coalesce. Scattered groups of individuals united under a large banner cannot realize their goals as effectively as a single body can. One need only look at the progress made by the Constitutional conservative movement in recent decades—while at times it has slowed the growth of government or defeated a bill, the Leviathan barrels onward toward a fascist-socialist state.
This revolution has also produced a unique opportunity for the message itself. In a day when most are opposed to the Iraq war, Paul proclaims his anti-war stance that has never changed. In a day when the dollar is being heavily debased, Paul proudly proselytes the sound money issue he has advocated throughout his service. When individuals grow tired of invasive government, Paul defiantly demands that the scope of government be limited to what is authorized in the Constitution.
It seems that the people are starved for Paul’s message, and the time is right for its delivery. His is not a single issue campaign, but instead covers nearly every facet of government existence, allowing him to appeal to a broad set of supporters.
The man is necessary for the revolution, and should he lose, the cause will suffer a major defeat. It may continue with an inferior leader, or press onward in the form of smaller pockets of people, but Ron Paul is to the Revolution what a hand is to a glove. Without one, the other is largely irrelevant.
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6 comments so far. Care to chime in?
#1 Kelly W. | December 27th, 2007 10:58 AMThe future is clear enough for us to realize that Paul will NOT get the nomination, even though his campaign is taking in more money than the other candidates. Even his large amount of money is not enough to buy off the MSM.
About 70% of Americans are against the wars. Yet Paul is the only anti-war candidate. In actuality, Paul should be the choice of Americans, yet we see the power of the PTB in keeping the pro-war candidates afloat.
I have heard talk of an assassination attempt on Paul’s life, so that Paul will then be out of the neo-con’s hair.
If Paul cannot be persuaded to run as a third-party candidate, then I fear the Constitution’s final thread will break, leaving Paul’s supporters to pick up the pieces.
#2 Doug Bayless | December 27th, 2007 12:46 PMI’m still holding out hope for Paul. It’s an interesting political season to be sure. I’m not convinced that any other Republican candidates have anywhere near the passion, depth, and breadth of Paul’s supporters. There’s a chance that even his most apathetic supporters are more likely to vote than the average candidate’s supporters. That would truly be inspirational!
I’m split on Connor’s analysis here. I agree with almost his whole entry and thus I’m unconventionally committed to blogging, talking to neighbors and family, putting up his sign in my apolitical neighborhood, etc. because I really believe it basically ‘behooves’ me to get involved.
But – as a friend suggested to me – if the worst happens Ron already won in many respects. He won everything he set out to do. He changed the tone of the discussion on myriad subjects – particularly on war, empire, liberty, the Constitution, — the list goes on. And that is just astonishing. Of course now a new and unexpected (to hear him tell it) opportunity has opened up and he’s going for it.
I do opine, however, he actually shifted paradigms for decades to come – already. I don’t know much about Goldwater but sometimes the Paul campaign is compared to that. From the little I understand that seems far more similar than comparison to Dean who just disappeared back into the Democratic machine. Supposedly generations of successfully elected politicians (ie Reagan) were inspired by the ideas of Goldwater’s unsuccessful campaign.
I personally know some people considering national political runs (in races they could actually win) who are basically newly inspired “Ron Paul” Republicans. And I’ve heard tell of others. I actually do think the “movement” could live on.
#3 David | December 27th, 2007 7:48 PMI’ll be making my predictions for the early primary scenario that best benefits Ron Paul next week. Until then you make a good point. Ron Paul supporters need to know how important it is that we make the most of this opportunity. We need to talk to others and go cast our votes. Sending money is nice, but if we then fail to show up at the right polling places it is a largely wasted effort.
If Ron Paul loses we will have lost an enormous amount of momentum and we will have to work long and hard at all levels of government to keep the movement alive and grow the next generation of constitutional statesmen.
#4 Bill | December 29th, 2007 4:08 PMYes, he is absolutely essential. What other public figure do you know of that has the knowledge and conviction of the Constitution that he has? What other public figure do you know of that will unapologetically tell us where we have gone wrong and how we can get back on track? Who else has the consistent record of honesty and integrity that he has? No one.
As for predictions:
I believe that when all the caucuses and primaries are over, there will be such a close race that it will be unclear who won the nomination. Then at the convention, Paul delegates will run into a similar problem that they did in Texas. They will not be let into the convention. Such an incident will ignite Dr. Paul into a fury of political maneuvering. If successful, he will catalyze the third party coallition into a new third party (the Independent American Party). He will be forced to run as a third party candidate. There will be enough support for him to be taken seriously. There will be a three way race. The Dems will win (it may be Obama instead of Hillary–Thank Goodness). But there will be such a showing from the new party that soon representatives at all levels of government will be touting the IAP platform.
#5 Tom Armstrong | January 26th, 2008 1:49 AMAs the email suggests, I am a avid Ron Paul supporter working in El Paso, Texas. Ron Paul is essential to this revolution now because this is the fight of the day. I have found that the stacks of dry wood are being stacked up daily by the corruption in washington and the politicians corrupting their offices are throwing gas on these stacks of kenneling. I see men organizing all across the country taking valuable time away from their regular duties to plan, prepare, organize and get the word out. My sons and many others are learning things they have never considered. They are are believing in the Constitution. They are considering a new meaning to the American Dream. I love America. Thank you Ron Paul for teaching us what liberty is all about. We almost forgot. God Bless Ron Paul.
#6 Kelly W. | February 18th, 2008 10:18 PMI found this in an article written by Pastor Chuck Baldwin, and I happen to believe it whole-heartedly. So I will pass it along, below.
“I continue to support Ron Paul, although I believe the only way he can effectively bring his revolution to the forefront of America is to seek the Presidency via a third party ticket. I, therefore, strongly urge Dr. Paul to continue his Presidential campaign by obtaining the nomination of the Constitution Party. (It is his for the taking, should he pursue it.) The Republican Party is too corrupt, too sympathetic to New World Order ideologues to allow principled patriots such as Ron Paul to obtain the nomination. In fact, a John McCain administration will finish whatever semblance of conservatism yet remains in the GOP. McCain’s nomination makes it all the more imperative that we break the two-party death grip that is choking the life out of America. If Ron Paul would take the bull by the horns right now and run as a third party candidate, he just might be the man who could do it. Otherwise, it is just another sign that the handwriting is already on the wall. “
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