Posted on 09/22/2008 2:34:38 PM PDT by SecAmndmt
A New Alliance - By Dr. Ron Paul
Friends - please read this new and important piece by Dr. Paul.
The press conference at the National Press Club had a precise purpose. It was to expose, to as many people as possible, the gross deception of our presidential election process. It is controlled by the powerful elite to make sure that neither candidate of the two major parties will challenge the status quo. There is no real choice between the two major parties and their nominees, only the rhetoric varies. The amazingly long campaign is designed to make sure the real issues are ignored. The quotes I used at the press conference from insider Carroll Quigley and the League of Women voters strongly support this contention.
Calling together candidates from the liberal, conservative, libertarian and progressive constituencies, who are all opposed to this rigged process, was designed to alert the American people to the uselessness of continuing to support a process that a claims that one’s only choice is to choose the lesser of two evils and reject a principle vote that might challenge the status quo as a wasted vote.
In both political education and organization, coalitions are worthwhile and necessary to have an impact. “Talking to the choir” alone achieves little. I have always approached political and economic education with a “missionary” zeal by inviting any group in on issues we agree upon.
This opens the door to legitimate discourse with the hope of winning new converts to the cause of liberty. This strategy led to the press conference with the four candidates agreeing to the four principles we believe are crucial in challenging the political system that has evolved over many years in this country.
This unique press conference, despite the surprising, late complication from the Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate, hopefully will prove to be historically significant.
This does not mean that I expect to get Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney to become libertarians, nor do they expect me to change my mind on the issues on which we disagree. In the meantime, why can’t we be friends, respectful of each other, and fight the corrupt process from which we suffer, and at the same time champion the four issues that we all agree upon which the two major candidates won’t address?
Many practical benefits can come from this unique alliance. Our cause is liberty —freedom is popular and is the banner that brings people together. Since authoritarianism divides, we always have the edge in an intellectual fight. Once it’s realized that the humanitarian goals of peace and prosperity are best achieved with our views, I’m convinced we win by working with others. Those who don’t want to collaborate are insecure with their own beliefs.
In the past two years at the many rallies where I talked and shook hands with literally thousands of people, I frequently asked them what brought them to our campaign. There were many answers: the Constitution, my consistency, views on the Federal Reserve, the war, and civil liberties. The crowds were overwhelmingly made up of young people.
Oftentimes I welcomed the diverse groups that came, mentioning that the crowd was made up of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Liberals and Progressives with each group applauding. Even jokingly, I recognized the “anarchists” and that, too, was met with some applause. In conversations, many admitted to having been Democrats and members of the Green Party and supporters of Ralph Nader, yet they came to agree with us on all the issues once the entire philosophy was understood. That’s progress.
Principled people are not shy in participating with others and will defend their beliefs on their merits. Liberals and progressives are willing to align themselves with us on the key issues of peace, civil liberties, debt and the Federal Reserve. That’s exciting and very encouraging, and it means we are making progress. The big challenge, however, is taking on the establishment, and the process that is so well entrenched. But we can’t beat the entrenched elite without the alliance of all those who have been disenfranchised.
Ironically the most difficult group to recruit has been the evangelicals who supported McCain and his pro-war positions. They have been convinced that they are obligated to initiate preventive war in the Middle East for theological reasons. Fortunately, this is a minority of the Christian community, but our doors remain open to all despite this type of challenge. The point is, new devotees to the freedom philosophy are more likely to come from the left than from those conservatives who have been convinced that God has instructed us to militarize the Middle East.
Although we were on the receiving end of ridicule in the reporting of the press conference, I personally was quite satisfied with the results. True revolutions are not won in a week, a month, or even a year. They take time. But we are making progress, and the momentum remains and is picking up. The Campaign for Liberty is alive and well, and its growth and influence will continue. Obviously the press conference could have been even more successful without the last-minute change of heart by the Libertarian Party candidate by not participating. He stated that his support for the four points remains firm. His real reason for not coming, nor letting me know until forty minutes before the press conference started, is unknown to me. To say the least, I was shocked and disappointed.
Yet in the long run, this last-minute change in plans will prove to be of little importance. I’m convinced that problems like this always seem bigger at the moment, yet things usually work out in the end. Recovering from the mistakes and shortcomings of all that we do in this effort is not difficult if the message is right and our efforts are determined. And I’m convinced they are. That’s what will determine our long-term success, not the shortcomings of any one person.
The Libertarian Party Candidate admonished me for “remaining neutral” in the presidential race and not stating whom I will vote for in November. It’s true; I have done exactly that due to my respect and friendship and support from both the Constitution and Libertarian Party members. I remain a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and I’m a ten-term Republican Congressman. It is not against the law to participate in more then one political party. Chuck Baldwin has been a friend and was an active supporter in the presidential campaign.
I continue to wish the Libertarian and Constitution Parties well. The more votes they get, the better. I have attended Libertarian Party conventions frequently over the years.
In some states, one can be on the ballots of two parties, as they can in New York. This is good and attacks the monopoly control of politics by Republicans and Democrats. We need more states to permit this option. This will be a good project for the Campaign for Liberty, along with the alliance we are building to change the process.
I’ve thought about the unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate, and he has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I’m supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate.
ROFL!
Methinks he endorses Lord Baldwin of the Crusades. A stout heart, and a good man. I do wonder though, if perchance he’s a trifle old?
Every two years, a small group of GOP lackeys put up someone against him in the primary and claim that "this is the year we're going to primary out Paul". Their guy always gets raped in the primary. It's as consistent as the tides. Y'all are stuck with Paul.
You have to remember that anyone anti-war is unpatriotic.
If the CP is so bad, why did you attempt to secure their nomination for your guy?
John McCain is unprincipled and a traitorous bastard. He is without honor or scruples.
An objectivist who believes in the collective will? How many of these votes can you collectively determine. If it is only one, you are hopeless visionary, not very "real world" by pinning your decisions on this sort of argument.
You are free to choose your own slavery but I'm not voting for McObama who have BOTH endorsed a great leap forward for socialism and regulation in the financial crisis.
You are a party groupie and big gov hack that just very recently signed up on this site. Where ya been?
I voted for Ross!
Oh wait ... sorry.
I collectively determine my own. I also determine the message I send to others. I know that if some on the fence see apathy, they may be inclined to be apathetic. It is the reality of human nature to follow trends. Negativity breeds negativity, apathy breeds apathy.
I checked out Balwin just now, sounds like a nice guy with the right ideas. Only problem seems to be that he has no experience running anything. Not even a 5 and dime.
***It is the reality of human nature to follow trends.***
Like voting Democratic or Republican every election?
Yep, but that also is a reflection on the fact that right now, and in the history of the past hundred years or so, (with probably the exception of Ross Perot and that may be argued), other options (3rd and 4th parties) where magnets for cracks or ‘radicals’ with, sometimes unifying positions on specific issues, but no core fundamental values. Just link to the Campaign for Liberty link at the top of this thread and scroll through what the CFL folks are saying in the comments.
IMHO, you are the apathetic one in this conversation. You are completely apathetic (apparently) about supporting candidate who supports the greatest leap to socialism since the New Deal. Perhaps a McCain presidency will finally shake you from apathetic stupor about that matter.
For many years lots of folks, including myself, thought that the CP was a possible fallback trench for conservatives to fight from should the GOP go belly-up. And so, we felt an obligation to find out if that was so after it became clear that John Judas McCain would be the Republican nominee.
But, unfortunately, the CP is going nowhere. It’s nothing but a vehicle for Howard Phillips to air his ill-informed opinions, especially his warped view of America’s role in the world.
Ron Paul, Howard Phillips, Lew Rockwell and Chuck Baldwin deserve each other. But their ‘ree-luv-ooshun’ was a dead letter from day one. We’ve had a hundred years of revolution. That’s the problem. We don’t need change. We need to change back.
It's a shame, isn't it? The CP should have been Alan Keyes' vehicle to air his ill-informed opinions. There was just that pesky matter of Keyes' having to win an election to get the nomination, which, as we all know, is his Kryptonite.
Actually, the platform looks like a strict adherance to the Constitution. What specifically do you see that steps over the line?
I know the federal government is (as is its habit) again promising the American people a painless solution to a crisis the government itself created. Here is a dose of reality that grown up Americans need to accept...the government cannot "fix" this problem...borrowing and printing hundreds of billions (trillions?) of dollars and throwing that into the market can, at best, only delay and make worse the inevitable. The market needs to filter out all of this malinvestment...its going to be painful but better we take our medicine now than pass on a much more painful crisis to a later day.
I don't want Congress to "act"...they've done enough damage already...let the market fix what Congress and the Administrations and the Fed have screwed up
In order to “win” anything with the CP, he would have had to agree to policies that he knows would endanger the country. I’m thankful he stood firmly where he has always consistently stood - for an America that remains strong in the world - and therefore “lost.”
Of course, in the process of rejecting Dr. Keyes’ brand of Reagan conservatism, the CP stuck a finger in the eye of their long-time California affiliate, and now instead of being “the third largest party in America based on voter registrations” they’re sixth or seventh. And instead of being the “fastest growing party in America,” they’re the fastest shrinking.
They can’t say that I didn’t warn them.
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