Ron Paul’s strong second place showing in the New Hampshire Primary was not only a stunning victory for the Congressman, but also a stunning victory for the philosophy that he champions. Ron Paul is not just Ron Paul; he is symbolic of a whole field of thought known as Libertarianism, and by coming second in New Hampshire, he has catapulted that field of thought over the battlements of the biased media into the mainstream of American political debate. People all over America are discussing what Ron Paul is talking about because, for the first time ever, they have a real politician, in the best sense of the term, espousing real ideas, and putting forward real solutions. The other Republican career politicians are like pablum before him, and that is why they have dropped off, one after another. The process of turning this into a two-man race is nearing its close, and it will soon be a Paul-Romney shootout at the public opinion corral. (Unless, of course, Buddy Roemer surges in the polls.)
To have blogged, and hoped, and routed for Dr. Paul for over four years, and to finally see him getting his well deserved respect from the media after the appalling way they treated him, is heartwarming to his supporters, and energizing to those who think that this is just the start. This is a chance to pull off the major changes that America needs to become once again the greatest society in the world in the broadest sense. There are many so-called primitive societies far saner (or, at least, there used to be), and many with less violence, but this fascinating millieu of a thousand different nationalities mixing in a capitalistic stew, in a society of stunning technical accomplishments, is still the most potentially revolutionary culture in the world, given its generally live and let live attitude to differences, and its toleration of free speech ( when did modern America ever see the religious pogroms that are occuring in Northern Nigeria, or the tribal pogroms currently going on in South Sudan. A new nation already plagued by the ancient disease of tribalism.) This is a chance to move not only America, but the whole world forward, for when the people of the world see Dr. Paul’s philosophy working in America, they will adopt it too. Indeed, the first effect of a Ron Paul victory would probably be a lowering of oil and food costs for the world’s poorest people as the dollar strengthened. A Ron Paul victory would probably save millions of lives due to cheaper food in the Third World.
However, what was even more fascinating than the new respect and influence the Libertarian philosophy has gained in regard to personal and economic behaviour, were the breakdowns of the voters in New Hampshire. Amongst those who considered themselves moderately liberal Republicans, Ron Paul won 33%, but the more conservative the voters got, the lower Ron Paul’s totals got, until, among the most Conservative, he got 18%. You’d have thought, considering his very conservative economic outlook on deficits and government spending, that the exact opposite would be true. Dr. Paul also won among Independents 33% to Romney’s 32%, but got trounced among women 40-20% against Romney. Additionally, Dr. Paul won big the vote amongst those earning 30-50k, while Romney got the upper brackets, and, of course, the doughty baby-plucker won the under-30s, whose brains are not yet senile from watching major network news or taking Keynesian economic courses at universities.
So Ron Paul seems to be the leader among those who are young, moderately liberal, and lower middle-class. However, the fact that 18% of the very conservative voted for him is not to be ignored. That’s not much less than the 23% he got state wide, and it shows that about a fifth of the Republicans in New Hampshire are true conservatives. There are those that want to conserve the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the American free-enterprise system as it should be, and those who want to conserve their tax-deductions and government contracts. There’s a difference.
So Ron Paul barrels forth to South Cah-lina, where he has “surged” 11% in a week to 20%according to today’s latest state poll, although a nationwide poll of Republicans shows Romney favored 67%-31% over Paul. But that could change radically with the elimination of the Republican pathetics like Perry, Huntsman, and Santorum. And when Gingrich’s block is freed up from encumberance, we will then have a realistic view of the Paul-Romney probabilities. It is obvious, from the way the moderate liberal Republicans flocked to Dr. Paul, that he would do very well among Independents, Libertarians, and the anti-war, pro-civil liberties, anti-Wall Street Democrats who are choking on their own vomit when they remember that they voted in the man who overthrew the Bill of Rights with his heinous indefinite-prolonged-detention-without-trial victory, the man who has legally enabled the first American Hitler with all the laws he will need. They voted in a man who is either a fool or a Fascist.
Ron Paul has achieved his victory after thirty years in the wilderness. Now even the Liberals are seeing that this Conservative Libertarian makes a lot of sense, and is far closer to their ideals than that mountebank in the White House. Ron Paul is the Liberal’s Conservative.
Onward Liberty to Cah-lina!
Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww! — Silverwolf
Tags: New Hampshire Primary, Ron Paul
