.
Welp… over 4,000 people, on less than two days’ notice, most of them under 30, of all races, showed up Wednesday night at Fullerton’s Titan stadium, to listen to this small, regular-ass, bemused Texan in his blue work shirt.
Over 4,000 people, wishing that they had a political Party – wishing, dreaming, jonesing for a Party that stood for their ideal of personal freedom, peace, and minimal government. There isn’t one. They don’t have one.
One of Ron Paul’s best lines that evening, which Juice friend Allan Bartlett also hadn’t heard before, was based on the old saying that if you’re not a liberal at 20 you don’t have a heart, and if you’re not a conservative by 40 you don’t have a brain. “Why can’t we have a heart AND a brain?” keened the wide-eyed Dr. Paul, to roars of assent.
Looking back, I appreciate that Dr. Paul skipped all the usual bullshit you hear from every politician – there was no flattery of Fullerton, no raving over the beautiful Southern California weather and whatever food we supposedly eat here, no backslapping anecdotes of CSUF’s dean and whoever helped book him here, he got right to the point. He seems perpetually incredulous – well, about many things – but also about being such a national figure; he claims he never really wanted to be a politician, but he “just had a few things I needed to get off my chest.”
Many are drawn to Dr. Paul because of his foreign policy. He speaks passionately against America’s wars, all of them since WWII, and against Obama’s drone strikes which kill civilians and create more terrorists than they eliminate. He also opposes sanctions on countries, which end up hurting the very poor people we’re supposedly trying to help, as well as FOREIGN AID in general, which he dings as enriching and empowering the richest people in the poorest countries. But he bristles at being labelled an “isolationist.” Far from that, he favors unfettered trade with all nations, getting special applause for ending the embargo on CUBA.
Then there’s the nutty stuff. It’s surprising to see how many young people can get all carried away with chanting “END THE FED!” What problems do they think “ending the Fed” would solve? What do they think led to the creation of the Fed? What do they propose to replace it with? Some democratically-elected body that’ll drive our economy up and down, back and forth, with the political winds of the day? Also, it seems suddenly important to this Ron Paul crowd, to be able to drink RAW MILK. I say, what the hell, let ’em!
Dr. Paul admitted that he votes in favor of any bills that end “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but does so with impatience believing such moves to be nearly pointless band-aids. Because, as he says, “ALL GOVERNMENT IS WASTEFUL, FRAUDULENT, AND ABUSIVE.” Hm. Hm… Have to admit, I really don’t believe that.
The word Ron kept coming back to was FREEDOM, everything he does and says and believes is about maximizing individual freedom. FDR, however, enumerated some freedoms that don’t factor in to the Paulite thinking – freedom from poverty, from ignorance, from hunger, from disease. There’s a lot of magical thinking with Ron and his supporters: everything will work out splendidly for everyone if the government just gets out of the way. The divine hand of the market cures all ills. It’s so simple, and makes a teenager’s heart beat ardently. The memory is erased, of what first drove humans to create governments.
This picture from the Register's Joshua Sudock, other pictures by Vern.
So, Allan and several other volunteers were up at the front as folks entered, letting everyone know “You’ve gotta be registered in the Republican Party to vote for Dr. Paul in June!” They got 800 new registered-Republican voters that evening. I made sure to tell everyone, “Make sure you get two forms so you can change back after June 5!” This was generally met with chuckles and nods of agreement, and the grabbing of twosies. I’m gonna do the same thing myself later this month, after a couple of stiff drinks.
The Ron Paul camp has been on an aggressive campaign to “use the existing rules” to get as many delegates as they can away from Romney. You have to feel a little bit ambivalent about that, as it’s not what the majority of Republican voters want … but as the Paulites point out, it IS the rules! Apparently these shenanigans will somehow put Dr. Paul in a strong negotiating position at the Convention to … I don’t know what, influence some of the Republican platform? Modify Mitt Romney’s infinitely malleable philosophy? Get his son Rand a post, as some cynics suggest?
But of course, nobody really thinks that Dr. Paul will beat Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination, let alone beat Barack Obama in November. I hope that all these enthusiastic libertarians move on to support the actual Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who shares all of Dr. Paul’s best positions and lacks several of his bad points (i.e. Johnson is pro-choice, pro-immigrant, and didn’t spend the 90’s letting a crazed racist newsletter go out under his name.)
If you say I hope they vote for Johnson because I don’t want Romney to win, you’d be only half-right – it’s because I’m TERRIFIED of Romney winning. Because, while you may fault Obama for not being perfect on civil liberties, while you may fault Obama for drone strikes that kill civilians, Romney looks like a safe bet to DOUBLE DOWN on all that, and be possibly more of a tyrant than Bush and Cheney.
The theory of ending the Fed is that it will end the wonton currency manipulation that is driving this country into bottomless debt. It’s not surprising that the youthful Ron Paul supporters would see this as a good thing, since they will suffer the consequences of these policies for decades to come.
What is your understanding of how the commercial and consumer credit system works now — and how it would work under a gold standard?
Fire everyone at Goldman-Sachs and Merrill Lynch. Next! Alan Greenspan, Larry Summers, John Engler and Alice Rivlan, Ruben – oh, and don’t forget Paul Voker. All wonderful folks….we are sure!
Leaving these same greed merchants in charge leaves us with a hopeless ending….and the same one we experienced in 2007-2008. But hey, that only affects 1% now…doesn’t it?
How bad will it get? We will soon find out folks. NO Romney…..EVER! That we might even call financial suicide – if he wins.
So did Alexander Hamilton show up to endorse Dr. Paul? Or was it all done simply on the Psychic Network?
The bad snarkf in the letters was when Ron was practicing medicine full time in Texas and the newsletters continued to be published, without him, in DC. And people associate Johnson with supporters who make the backhanded attacks you so against Paul which Paul supporters know to be entirely dishonest.
So I’ll pass, thanks.
Actually I’m an Obama supporter, even if an often critical one. And I’m just sayin’, who are you Ron Paul supporters gonna vote for in November? Not Romney, I hope, who may be even worse than Bush.
Paul supporters will simply write in “Ron Paul” in November, whether he’s the nominee or not. That will pull votes from Romney and Obama, both.
Enough to win? Highly unlikely. Enough to make a statement, in particular, to the GOP. Absolutely.
It’s Ron Paul and only Ron Paul for most of us.
Well, that’ll work from my point of view … but you sound like a damn cult member.
Johnson has nearly the identical messages as Paul, but he has a party that he’s guiding and helping grow. You’d rather make a STATEMENT?
“Ron Paul and ONLY Ron Paul.” Sounds infantile.
*Oathkeeper: Get up with the times. California now has a modified open primary and we will be voting for Ron Paul on June 5th. Only the top two vote getters will be listed on the ballot in November. The vote for Paul in the Primary is far more important that spending a waste of time adding his name in November to the write in list. Who cares?
Also, who are you voting for U.S. Senate in the Primary? Did you get your OC Sample Ballot yet? Did you check to see who your State Senator and Assembly person are now after the U,S. Census?
More to the point, there will be no write-ins allowed or tabulated in November, it will not be possible to send a message in that election. If you’re happy (or not), thank (or curse) former Lt. Gov Abel Maldonado for that!
Mostly good points, Winships, except – even with our new “open primaries” for state and local races – you still can’t vote for Ron Paul on June 5 unless you’re registered Republican. This Maldonado thing doesn’t apply to Presidential races. You guys probably are still registered Republicans, I know you always were. Maybe after June 5 you should be independents, I think your party has gone and moved rightward off a cliff without you.
Here’s a good video recap of the Fullerton event.
Thanks, trouble-making friend!
*Dr. Diamond, Wrongo! You can write in Ron Paul under Barack Obama on the Democratic Ballot or any of the other party affiliations….there is a place for write-ins on the Primary ballot. Will there be a place to write in on the November ballot? We believe so. Would they count those votes? We will let you know by Thursday.
They won’t count’em, Wingos. Given our exalted status, let us not disinform the multitudes.
While there is a place for write-ins in June, my understanding is that in November there will not even be a provision for write-ins in those races. Does Neal Kelley answer your e-mails? They will not be counted, though. The Presidential race is different; it’s exempt from the rules for statewide races (as are local races.)
*Professor Vern,
So you are now the definitive resource on who counts what ballots? We would have
to get a ruling from the appropriate source ….before we would believe that. They now count all votes, even those with unappropriate markings. New law effective in the coming election cycle.
*OK Dr. D…..here is the answer. First off….there will be NO write in’s allowed for the November Election. The June Primary allows for write ins, however…those votes will not be counted unless the candidate is a verified qualified write-in candidate. You can write in Sarah Palin…but unless she qualify’s by the 14fh of May….that vote will be considered an UnderVote…..without being counted.
Interestingly enough, if a Republican Qualified write-in Candidate is written in on the Democratic or any other ballot….the vote will count. Same thing applies on the Republican ballot….but that would mean that Obama got the signature necessary
as a write in Candidate. Anyway….only Qualified Write In Candidates are counted.