Those who know me well know that I am not much of a political guy. I have my opinions, but as the saying goes, opinions are like assholes—everybody has one. But I do like to argue, and nothing gets me in a good argument like politics (except maybe for religion, and I promised my mama I wouldn’t write about that). But for some reason, any mention of the current political situation stirs up a lot of emotions in some folks, and if there’s one thing I like to do, it is to stir the pot. So more politics it is…
Let’s talk some more about the Republican primaries. How come my Republican friends are so up in arms about Ron Paul these days? I mean, the man is a funny-looking old guy who has been dismissed as a crackpot for years and years. Why does the rank and file seem so upset lately by his very existence? Just a month or two ago, he was a non-player, nothing to worry about. The guys on Fox News would giggle when his name was mentioned. But now that he’s getting some votes, he’s considered the earthly incarnation of Satan.
The Republicans are so angry because they feel that their party is being co-opted by the Libertarians/Constitutionalists/Tea Party crowd. They feel that way because that is what’s happening. They’ve been so busy arguing about social issues that they’ve missed the boat on what is really important. Lots of people don’t want to live in a welfare state, but also don’t care if gays want to marry or whatever moral outrage the Sunday-school conservatives are railing against this week. I personally think gays should HAVE to marry. To quote the late Greg Giraldo, “I’m a little sick of their happy-go-lucky lifestyles. Make them be miserable like the rest of us.”
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not carrying a torch for Ron Paul, exactly. He’s got some kooky ideas, like selling off all the National Parks, for instance, that I don’t really like. He also says he wouldn’t have ordered the operation which killed Osama Bin Laden if president, which I absolutely disagree with. But, on the other hand, he stands for a vast retraction of the power of the federal government, a return to a stricter interpretation of the Constitution, and a stronger commitment to individual liberty. And that is something I can get behind. Obviously a lot of other disgruntled former Republicans feel the same, as evidenced by the popularity numbers for Paul. Our system of government is such that 90% of RP’s platform would never come to fruition (which is probably for the good anyway), so why do people seem so drawn to him lately? One word—CHANGE. Barak Obama rode this same idea into the White House during the last election, despite a platform that borders on socialism. Well, it more than borders on socialism, it actually lives right next door, truth be told. I think sometimes they mow each other’s yards.
People are just getting more and more tired of other people taking their money and telling them what to do. They don’t like to watch the government get bigger and bigger, at least not those who actually have to pay for it. They don’t like watching more and more freedoms being curtailed, and being reassured that it makes them safer. A friend of mine sent me this quote today—“Bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of bureaucracy.” I don’t know where he got it, but that pretty much sums it up.
Ron Paul is not going to be elected President of the United States in 2012. He’s too wacky, too ugly, and too short. Sorry, RP supporters, but there it is. But neither are any of the other Republican hopefuls. They are all too boring and the whole party is too fractured. But maybe Dr. Paul can do one very important thing. He can serve as an alarm bell to the Republican Party that they need to wake the hell up.
No comments:
Post a Comment