Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Rand Paul, the Apple Who Fell Far from the Tree

Rand Paul is becoming less like his father every day, it seems. His obvious desire for higher office is technically not a problem, if he goes about it the right way. Unfortunately, he is moving toward the middle instead of trying to move the middle toward him. This undermines his effectiveness, and at some point he becomes no better than any other Republican. I don’t think we are there yet, but it’s frightening that we seem headed in that direction.

This Washington Post article highlights Rand’s latest moves. He is meeting with evangelical leaders, who are often very confused about liberty, as are most Republicans and Democrats. One that he met with stated “Straight libertarianism has nothing Christian about it.” Such ignorance is palpable. Libertarianism is non-aggression, a key teaching in the Bible. Rand Paul has the opportunity to explain this and how it relates to government. He also has the chance to explain how the Constitution does not provide for federal power over many issues evangelicals are concerned about, including marriage and the drug war. These are very reasonable, moderate, and consistent arguments that would do the cause of liberty much good.

But what is Rand advocating? To his credit, he still thinks marriage is a state issue, but I don’t see him laying out the Constitutional reasons for this. Unfortunately, on the drug war, he wants to continue it but try and reduce some of the penalties. That’s nice, but that is not a defense of liberty. It’s support for a failed, rights-violating, unconstitutional, and moronic drug prohibition.

We are going to need people who actually support liberty to make the changes we want. Rand Paul is not laying the foundation for a Presidential run based on liberty. He is more likely, as Bob Wenzel points out, to end up being the next Ronald Reagan, one who often talks nice but doesn't stop or reverse the growth of the state.

5 comments:

  1. Rand is an even bigger douchebag than his father. Ron spent a big part of his adult life perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain, and now his son is making it clear that he's even more willing to sacrifice libertarian principles for his own twisted ends.

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    1. "Ron spent a big part of his adult life perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain"

      It's not clear what your point is. Of course, one has to make a living, and there's nothing wrong with that. It seems rather obvious that Ron gave the cause much more than he took from it.

      But given your derogatory language I'm sure that doesn't matter to you- just come up with something snarky and negative and hope it sticks.

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  2. Nothing wrong with making a living, but it's wrong to pervert the cause of liberty for personal gain. Ron Paul has spent most of his life doing so. Too snarky for you? Bummer.

    Ron Paul started making a living by joining the US Air Force. Had Congress declared war? No. Was he defending the US from a foreign invader? No. Was he perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain? Yes.

    Despite all his rhetoric about free markets, Ron Paul's chosen profession, medical doctor, is one that is highly regulated and protected by government. Perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain.

    No satisfied with his position in the government-protected medical cartel, he tried and eventually succeeded at becoming a member of Congress. If taxation is theft, Ron Paul spent a good part of his adult life enjoying the fruits of being a criminal. Perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain.

    During the period between his two stints in Congress, he ran Ron Paul & Associates, making a living by publishing newsletters that including racist and homophobic statements. Then he lied about it. Perverting the cause of liberty AND being a douchebag.

    Ron Paul campaigned for Reagan, then became disillusioned with him and the Republican Party. After he quit Congress, he announced that there was "no credibility left for the Republican Party as a force to reduce the size of government" and ran for president as the Libertarian Party candidate. When that didn't work out for him, he ran for Congress as a Republican again, and when criticized for some of the LP positions that were considered problematic for a Republican candidate, he said that he'd never read the entire LP platform. Perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain. And being a douchebag.

    Facts is facts, kid. But maybe when they concern your hero, you think they don't matter so much. Maybe you'd rather just ignore them and hope they'll go away.

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    1. So being a doctor is "Perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain." Now that's a real knee-slapper. Taking your arguments seriously means existing, participating in any profession, is "Perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain."

      I'm shaking in my boots.

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  3. That's the best you could come up with to defend your hero, kid? Paul has admitted that government protection in the form of a strict licensing system has allowed doctors to charge more than they otherwise could. Yet he CHOSE to participate in that system, anyway. Because it's part of a life-long pattern of perverting the cause of liberty for personal gain.

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