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My problem with Ron Paul-You have the same one.
05/22/07
Some people really like Ron Paul. Or, at least they think they like Ron Paul. He won the fox News debate poll and I noticed his name is the number one searched term on Technorati.
I'm guessing that people who support Ron Paul are amongst those that have solidly formed political views or about 30% of the population (again, a guess based on experience). They include me most of the time, (though sometimes I like to take a step back and refocus). And they probably include you, the guys and girls who read blogs, listen to talk radio, and buy books on current events. Like everything, however, constant reinforcement of your point of view can have a negative side. If you're a conservative in a liberal environment or vice versa (or some other dynamic like a Muslim in a Christian country), I'm sure you're familiar with the odd, confused stares of people who have had every contrary point of view, if they've ever heard any at all, filtered for them by their own side.
Seeing the "big picture" is generally a good trait, but it can hinder Truth. Communists are probably the biggest offenders. They'll take any historical event, put on their pink colored glasses and view dialectic. That's one of the reasons Soviets couldn't grow food. Their biology and farming methods had to be based on Communist philosophy. To be fair, some creationists hold on the the idea of a 6000 year-old Earth despite being able to hold dinosaur bones in their hands.
I'm not going to say that Paul is crazy or anything like that. I will say, however, that Paul is almost like a Communist in that he's an idealist in the bad sense of the word. Specifically, Ron Paul replies to every question with a Libertarian answer. He'd say that the Yankees would win more if they ditched their manager and let the players call their own signs.
Now, what if government could solve a problem? At the second Republican debate, Mitt Romney said that he supports No Child Left Behind because he saw the positive effect federal money had on Massachusetts schools. In other words, his experience/reality influenced his decision; his philosophy didn't mold reality.*
Look guys, life isn't as simple as most people make it out to be. For president, you and I both want somebody with a guiding philosophy for sure, but not somebody so rigid that he couldn't travel a road that didn't have his ideals at its terminus.
*For the record, Ron Paul is more correct about NCLB than Romney.
12 comments
Republican ideology.
This is not an example of experience/reality influencing his decision, it is an example of him seeing what he wants to see. My wife is a teacher here in MA and No Child Left Behind has seriously damaged our educational system.
I'll take the idealist, thanks.
The libertarian philosophy simply implies that force is not necessary to maintain the common goals of most people. Like the Yankees, most people will voluntarily cooperate with others, simply because they will benefit.
If you're comparing Dr. Paul to communists, you might as well throw Ben Franklin into the same category. Please rethink that statement.
Ron Paul doesn't have a philosophy, he is a constitutionalist, which is his giude for managing a country. Why can't Mitt Romney come up with his own state program instead of following a federal education program. If Ron Paul is an Idealist for following the Constitution, then Mitt Romney is a follower of Federal programs which he didn't come up with. People are awake and seeing that election after election of backing elitest corporate-baced politicians is ruining this country, and the reason Ron Paul is winning in the polls is people have been waiting for him, he is not saying anything people don't understand. We the People should be self-reliant and determine our own future, not a federal program. Get with the people, not with the few elisist that will give you their ideal of a facist corporate run government.
I see your point about the Yankees too. I was trying to be funny.
So, basically, he'll say whatever the neo cons tell him.
Also, you should keep in mind that we are talking about one man, and one job in government. As much as he might like to, I don't think he can single-handedly fire the IRS on day 1 of a presidency. There will still be discussion, compromise, and a gradual process to any changes.
The way I see it, even if some of RP's goals are extreme, they will be tempered. I like the idea of a president who really believes in the constitution working to shrink the size of the federal government.
Give a guy nicknamed "Dr. No" a veto power over the congress? Yes, please.
He says he's for smaller government, and yet he wants to take voting power away from the people and give it to the government so that the people cannot vote for their senators or congressmen. This in my opinion is the opposite of small government. It is big government and Communist. Some of Ron Paul's positions are out there, and his chances to become president is nil.
For the 2008 election, Ron Paul tried to run as a Libertarian, and the party declined him.
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