I was a Ron Paul supporter in the 2008 campaign for the presidency, and I made no apologies about it. Ron Paul was the candidate at the time that supported a smaller government, individual liberties and the Constitution closer than any other candidate. By far, he was the small government candidate.
Others, especially conservatives, would often say that they support many of Paul’s positions, but…
Either his voice was too “high and whiny”, or they viewed his position on America’s foreign policy to be “wacko” and “crazy”. The going phrase at the time, and still today, is that Ron Paul is a politician who is living “on the fringe”. He was not “mainstream” enough to win over much of the concerned voting public.
Clearly, the term fringe is meant in a negative light to imply that his views are out of the norm. So-called fringe candidates are outside of a more typical path to political enlightenment, I suppose, and cannot possibly run a country as big, expensive and corrupt as the federal government.
But the irony should be simple. It is just this “typical path to political enlightenment” that has grown this country to monstrous proportions. These candidates who apparently subscribe to the more common views in Washington are the very ones who are responsible for our multitrillion-dollar national debt, and our ever-burgeoning deficit. These are the politicians with whom Americans are most upset with, but yet, other candidates like Ron Paul are somehow “on the fringe” and cannot possibly be trusted. Continuing with the “mainstream” was a better option.
To this, I have only one question. WHAT?!? Truthfully, if a firm and consistent belief in a small government and a non-interventionist foreign policy is what it means to be on the fringe, then I am proud to be here. I am proud to be outside of the typical political thought in Washington D.C. that has caused the great majority of the problems that we face on a daily basis in the first place. Being mainstream is the problem!
What ground can anyone possibly stand on, when their political philosophy (you know, the typical, common, “in the middle” frame of mind) happens to be the root cause for the problems that concern so many Americans today? How is it possible to escape from the clutches of big government corruption and maniacal control over almost every aspect of American life if we continue to reject outsiders as “on the fringe”?
Do you want change, or no?
I am sure during the revolutionary times back in the 1700’s many viewed our founding fathers to be “on the fringe” for wanting to start a war to free ourselves from British tyranny. But sometimes, when things get bad enough, introducing non-common ideas and a radical change to politics as usual is what a country needs to break free from the continued degradation of American society.
Perhaps it is not bad enough yet.
This isn’t about Ron Paul specifically. This is about the rejection of thought outside of the norm, but yet, expecting the same political ideas from the same politicians to somehow result in positive change. Career politicians have made their living out of consolidating money and power into the hands of select politicians. There are a lot of uncertainties in this world, but one thing is very, very certain: nothing will change unless American voters begin to reject typical political thought in D.C.
Don’t believe me? Then continue voting as you always have. Continue rejecting anything outside of the same political thought that politicians have used to concoct government programs and initiative for years. Continue doing what you have always done, and watch what happens.
…to the peril of us all.
well said, and your exactly right EXACTLY !!!!!!!
dont fret, people like me are waking up. I missed out on Paul in the last election…thanks to the media picking my candidates for me. i wont let that happen again, ive studied Ron Paul and if he makes another run, hes got my support.
How does a liberal become a Ron Paul supporter?
I actually signed on with Obama early in the election process, disgusted with GWB.
Change sounded good, lol.
Then I saw Keith Olbermann on MSNBC talking about how our US Constitution was being shredded by the administration, he was right, and I was shocked. I decided to make sure the candidate I supported would keep the oath of office and defend our rights as stated in the constitution.
So I Googled every candidate on both sides of the aisle, and even third party candidates.
The rest should be self-explanatory, but I still smile to think how the Democrats and Republicans led me to my constitutional libertarian political philosophies.
I can live life as liberally as I choose, but I will always work toward keeping my government small and conservative. The secret to keeping my rights & liberties is to protect, and not infringe on those of my fellow humans. These may be American ideals, but they apply to all people everywhere. Inalienable.
Anyway, was proud to be there for the first moneybomb, the first modern Tea Party, and was most proud when the presidential campaign ended, the Campaign for Liberty continued. And is continuing.
[...] America needs Thursday, December 31, 2009 7:21:45 AM · by rabscuttle385 · 3 replies · 50+ views Small Gov Times ^ | 2009-12-30 | Steve Adcock I was a Ron Paul supporter in the 2008 campaign for the presidency, [...]
Nicely stated.
For years my wife and I voted Libertarian. Tax and spend democrats never had us, and republicans lost us when it became clear they were no better than the democrats. So year after year we voted Libertarian. Some told us we were throwing our vote away, but we were happy to not have voted for any of the schmucks who ended up in Washington.
We were living in California when the Ron Paul Revolution started, and we jumped aboard early. We attended huge rallies on the west coast and found so many people like us, disenfranchised with the political establishment, who embraced the Ron Paul message of personal liberty, freedom, and adherence to the Constitution.
We have proudly supported all the moneybombs, supported the Campaign for Liberty and the endorsed candidates, and look forward to helping grow the Revolution in the upcoming years.
If Constitutionalism is “fringe”, we happily adopt that label.
In liberty,
Chris
I was in Des Moines, IA when Ron Paul wasn’t allowed to take part in the caucus. It was the most amazing thing to see a flood of people from all over the country collected in a public parking lot to support a man no one was willing to take seriously. If they thought he was a “distraction” in 2008 just wait until 2012.
Another definition for “fringe” is “the cutting edge”.
In response to chriscz, and as a retired campaign manager, I’d like to let everyone know a little secret… the phrase, “Throwing away (or wasting) your vote” is a well-known propaganda line that both Reps and Dems use to try and steer votes away from 3rd parties and back to them. And it’s been very effective in the past, because voters don’t know their little hidden agenda.
Great read, Steve. And I am proud to stand with you.
Just think what an odd phrase “throwing your vote away” is. It should never be used in reference to voting for the one person you’d like to see elected.
The status quo would have you believe that you cannot choose who you really want; you’re limited to only 2 major party candidates.
Realistically, you could say that voting on electronic boxes with no paper trail or audit capacity would be “throwing your vote away.” And in that context, you better be prepared to have a landslide majority if your candidate is not the preselected “Chosen One” predetermined to win.
Just another psy-op to make people believe the one they want can’t win, so they are “wasting their vote.” If more people stood up for what they believed in instead of having to vote for a “winner” and thought for themselves, we wouldn’t be in this nightmare America that exists today.
We are living in George Orwell’s prediction of 1984 — everything is backwards. The one truth teller is a lunatic. The one Statesman who is faithful to the Constitution is a traitor and his followers are terrorists.
We are constantly told lies that many accept as truth. War is Peace. Being a slave makes you free. Being a good slave gives you power.
Anyway, great article on Ron Paul. Thank you!
If people think ‘voting’ in this country is not rigged. They are out of their minds or naive.
A black box where the programming of how it works is totally off limits to any checking by randomly chosen 3rd party tech person.
That is the definition of letting the fox guard the hen house.
blakmira, I posted before I read your post. Good stuff. Glad to see someone trusting their own thought process, instead of getting it from someone else or TV.
great read! will be there for 2012…am hoping either ron or rand make it to the white house by then. I’m sure the collective momentum will be vastly greater by then. Can’t wait!