Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll

Yep, as much as the media downplayed him, and though he never had a chance in hell of winning the election, Ron Paul did more to advance libertarianism than anyone ever has, just by raising people's awareness, and starting an organized movement that has become a significant faction in the Republican Party. Rand will be that much more effective, since he knows how to play the game, and has long been recognized as a serious contender.

Libertarianism is already the fastest-growing political philosophy in this country. I'm guessing by the end of the next presidential election, regardless of who is President, many more people in this country will identify as libertarian, and the libertarian perspective will begin to have a greater and greater impact on politics in this country. Probably more as a tie-breaker faction than anything... joining with the left to advance social liberty, and the right to advance economic liberty.

henschman said:

Yep, as much as the media downplayed him, and though he never had a chance in hell of winning the election, Ron Paul did more to advance libertarianism than anyone ever has, just by raising people's awareness, and starting an organized movement that has become a significant faction in the Republican Party. Rand will be that much more effective, since he knows how to play the game, and has long been recognized as a serious contender.

Libertarianism is already the fastest-growing political philosophy in this country. I'm guessing by the end of the next presidential election, regardless of who is President, many more people in this country will identify as libertarian, and the libertarian perspective will begin to have a greater and greater impact on politics in this country. Probably more as a tie-breaker faction than anything... joining with the left to advance social liberty, and the right to advance economic liberty.

Click to expand...

I agree. As a Independent, as soon as the Libertarians drop the R after their name, I'll reregister. I just won't be a part of it until then.

TedKennedy said:

As usual, you're right.
Even if the bed-wetters want to minimize Ron Paul's influence in the last election, there's no getting around the fact that he brought up legitimate topics that most politicians never discuss.
Thankfully, most of those influenced were younger folk. Most people my age are too stupid to see anything beyond R and D, and what their political indoctrination told them to think

Click to expand...

That's one thing a liberal I knew really liked about Paul. He said while he thought Paul was pretty nutty, he liked how Paul would bring up issues that didn't get a lot of attention, and would say things that some people might be afraid to say. He felt the same way about Kucinich too.

RickN said:

Only people that really believe in the libertarians should vote for them, if that makes them fools or not is up to them to decide.

As far as Paul's policies, I disagree with legalizing drugs, weakening the military, foreign policy, etc, etc, etc. The only places I do agree with him is in shrinking the size of government and I do not think his policies would do that any more then most Republicans.

I know no one here wants to hear this but, we all think our beliefs are right and if people disagree there must be something wrong with them. (Personally I think liberals played with there "Do It Yourself Home Lobotomy Kit" too much as children.) We also think if people would give our ideas a chance they would see how right we are. This goes for liberals, conservatives, libertarians, atheist, Christians, Muslims, etc, etc, etc. The truth is our beliefs are shaped by many factors in our lives and not some strange mental disorder. You can not make people see things your way and our founding fathers did a pretty decent job of setting things up to deal with that. The main groups are pretty much represented by the two main parties and the fringe groups can have some small impact by joining those two parties or a larger impact by forming their own parties and building a base of supporters. As I have said before, I am hoping the Tea Party splits off and forms another real party. I would support that and if I could I might even run for a local office under it's banner.

Click to expand...

I enjoy your posts for the comedic value. What's your ideas if you run on the tea party platform?

henschman said:

I support Rand Paul not because he is a shining example of libertarianism, but because he represents libertarianism in the mind of much of the public... and having such a figure on the national stage (whether or not he wins) will expose a lot of people to the philosophy. You can't hardly discuss Rand Paul without discussing libertarianism. I don't have any illusions about how this country's problems could be solved by electing all the right people. What WILL turn the country around is changing hearts and minds about liberty.

Click to expand...

Well said...we have to keep talking and make freedom & due process, etc. cool again...you cops on here included...you are part of the Republic too. We can recover if we work together because all of us know the elite come from a different planet (figuratively) and do not have the common man's best interest at heart. But they are damn good at swaying public opinion, dumbing us down and distracting us and accomplishing their goals unchecked. Look at Hilary...anybody else would be behind bars by now...we need some honest men & women in key positions and the police & citizens will follow and help take this country back from those who have hijacked it.

Lurker66 said:

I agree. As a Independent, as soon as the Libertarians drop the R after their name, I'll reregister. I just won't be a part of it until then.

Click to expand...

I have thought about it...I am probably more somewhere in between Libertarian and Constitution Party...I'm not down with donkey sex and things like that because I think any society afraid to form morals is bound to collapse...I'm not for total social darwinism either; for example, some blind orphan can & should be taken care of in a country such as ours...charity should be the first line support, but I am a realist and know that pure libertarianism would never fully blossom, much less last in a nation as large as this. But I often identify as and with the libertarians but right now I do not want to be obligated to ANYONE so I choose to call myself "Independent". Most independents are Democrats in disguise so I have that overshadowing me but for me Independent really means just I make up my own mind. But I respect my fellow man and their opinions unless they give me a good reason not to on a case by case basis.

LightningCrash said:

He felt the same way about Kucinich too.

Click to expand...

Yeah I am more open to Kucinich's opinions than I had been in the past...another good one that comes to mind is James Traficant:

On government regulation:

Mr. Speaker, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words. The Declaration of Independence is 1,322 words. Government regulations on the sale of cabbage are 27,000 words. Mr. Speaker, now if that is not enough to stuff your cabbage roll, regulations cost taxpayers $400 billion a year, $4,000 per every family each and every year, year in and year out. Unbelievable. It is so bad, if a dog urinates in a parking lot, the EPA declares it a wetland. (1999)

On the Internal Revenue Service:

From the womb to the tomb, Madam Speaker, the Internal Rectal Service is one big enema. Think about it: They tax our income, they tax our savings, they tax our sex, they tax our property-sales profits, they even tax our income when we die. Is it any wonder America is taxed off? We happen to be suffering from a disease called Taxes Mortis Americanus. Beam me up! (2001)

There are a few good politicians up there that still give me hope. Just off the top of my head Walter Jones, Dennis Kucinich, and both the Paul's. I really like Senator Sessions too, he has been doing a lot kinda behind the scenes by releasing different reports and whatnot. There are others on the other side that I might completely disagree with but seem to want what's best for the country and aren't bought off; Bernie Sanders and Alan Greyson come to mind. Say what you want about Bernie being a socialist he gives some of the best speeches.

There are a few I am the fence about like Justin Amash and others that voted to overturn the NDAA. I just don't know enough to make up my mind. Ted Cruz has some good moments and is very intelligent but I fear he plays toward the neoconservative side to much, especially since he did work for Bush.