Posted on 02/20/2010 8:52:39 PM PST by Maelstorm
Texas Representative Ron Paul won the 2010 CPAC straw poll tonight, beating out both Mitt Romney & Sarah Palin, and raking in 31% of the vote. Paul, a Libertarian who is perhaps best known for his aggressive stance against the Federal Reserve, has a dedicated group of followers which have again affirmed their influence within the Republican party.
What this means for a 2012 bid for presidency is uncertain, however; Pauls supporters were a vocal and visible group when he ran for President in 2008, but in the end, Paul walked away with only a small percentage of the actual votes. According the Huffington Post, Paul was the most anticipated speaker at the three-day convention, and his followers flooded the auditorium to hear him speak; yet when the results of the straw poll were announced, the crowd booed loudly.
Perhaps this shows just how much Pauls old-school approach to Republicanism fractures the GOP. Ron Paul is an unorthodox figure in the political scene; his libertarian manifesto, The Revolution, is a New York Times bestseller; he rallies against neoconservatives and liberals alike while preaching states rights, free-market economics, and small government.
(Excerpt) Read more at gather.com ...
Neither of whom belong at a so-called conservative convention.
That’s pretty much what would have to happen. The system we’ve morphed into isn’t sustainable, and furthermore it’s immoral.
Fair enough, but I don’t think he’s going to moderate his kooky part anytime soon, so is overall an impractical choice as a candidate. And more to the point, he’s not the only conservative option out there!
Ron Paul is good on small govt fiscal policy but he's weaker and more dangerous than Jimmuh Carter on foreign policy.
Greetings Deagle:
Paulbot shenanigans remind me of Chicago politics. The Machine employees fill the polling places statewide; patronage employment requires a 100% voting record.
For future straw polls; CPAC might consider dipping thumbs in blue ink after someone casts a ballot.
Cheers,
OLA
Heh...yes absolutely! He has as much of a chance of winning the Republican nomination as I do... He does have a following though that I wish would give the same effort to get rid of these idiots in Congress (All of them!). Can we have maybe a statesman or two...
More disturbing to me is a review of threads here on liberty advocates. Many seemed to have been banned altogether, and much of the remnant seems those who think themselves true conservatives. Problem is, they are dominated by idiots who post absolutely stupid sh!t like "freedom demands a strong central government" while they argue for central banks, federal morality standards in defiance of the constitution, perpetual war and empire as a defining characteristic of what America stands for. I kid you not, saw that gem about strong central government as a post here either in this thread or one of those threads where someone mentioned Ron Paul at CPAC. It is like there is a group dementia here which pops up at the very mention of his name. It is like a code word spoken over a loudspeaker clicks a response in the neural tube and the table slapping synchronized chanting "RINO" in unison, drooling, slobbering and gibbering hate fest frenzy begins. Admittedly, it seems to be the same crowd of Metamucil deficient cognitively vacant drones, but occasionally the management seems to show up and egg them on. It really is like some bad B grade scifi movie about remote controlled zombies or something.
The IDEA that freedom means (by definition) rolling back ALL areas of government seems incomprehensible and abhorrent to some. The tea party people (the newbies who came into CPAC in droves) are NOT people who march lock step with the folks who have dominated Republican party precincts for the last 15-20 years or so. They are people who realize a few things that seem so obvious to me that I wonder why they need posting..., but they clearly do.
1. My daddy once told me "you can't buy half the cow and take it home." If you really want small government, you are going to have to reject what is euphemistically called "the role of the US in the world" and return to a policy of principled non-interventionism (some call it "isolationism"). Our national security will not be more threatened by Islamic lunatics if we mind our own business, strike quickly, hard, and brutally at those who attack our interests, and listen (for a change!) to Hayek:
Wars expand the power of the modern state because the national planning to fight the war continues even during times of peace. This perennial government planning then expands the social-welfare state over time, with harmful results. Most importantly, economic activity is impeded by the growing state as people and resources become less productive. In other words, because the government does not create consumable goods and services, it is an economic burden to the productive sector of the economy. Then as the government grows, interest groups become increasingly numerous and powerful, leading to political corruption. More wars or even foreign policy tensions and economic crises can propel demagogues and dictatorial leaders to expand further state powers, to the detriment of each and every one of us believing that we could remake the world in our image
2) We are broke. Bankrupted, busted. Conservatives of all stripes should realize this. The primary villain here is the federal reserve, the great enabler of the empire/welfare state. The ONLY mainstream voice of conservatism to acknowledge this is Glen Beck...., and when he did so, he interviewed Ron Paul. Look folks, if you want to shrink gov't, THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT IS DE-FUND IT. If you want to cut off its balls, audit the fed (which will lead directly to its destruction, I guarantee you). I really really really do not understand why so many who profess to advocate small government are so hostile to Ron Paul. He is the ONLY guy up there focusing on that, and it is the 10,000 pound elephant in the living room.
3)We are a post Christian culture. Effective national policies re: morality have to start with a clear eyed (if sometimes despairing, as in the situation with homosexuality) assessment of who we are and where we are. Sexual behavior should be the issue, not some goofy crap like "orientation." I think "don't ask don't tell" was a good attempt at keeping the issue focused there, and actually still support keeping it in place. However, I don't lapse into a hyperventilating paroxysm of terror at the thought of looking at changing it, as though "Christian America" were slipping away..... that world died 40 years ago, whether I like it or not.
As a new poster (relatively) to FR, I am confused. Is this really a place where people want to see the government reigned in, or do people here just want a big government that does the right things?
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