Ron Paul’s Intransigence

“If we move in mass, be it ever so circuitously, we shall attain our object; but if we break into squads, everyone pursuing the path he thinks most direct, we become an easy conquest to those who can now barely hold us in check.” — Thomas Jefferson letter to William Duane — 1811

As of this writing Ron Paul has yet to endorse the presumptive GOP ticket and more specifically the selection of Paul Ryan as the VP candidate. On the other hand is son, Rand Paul the Senator from Kentucky has given his endorsement to the Romney/Ryan ticket.

US News reports that Ron Paul is still mum as his son endorses Paul Ryan:

“The plot thickens for supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul.

His son, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, has endorsed Wisconsin Republican Congressman Paul Ryan as the vice presidential nominee, while Ron Paul has stayed mum not only about Ryan, but about endorsing presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Rand Paul, a favorite of the conservative Tea Party, issued a statement saying that Ryan's controversial budget plan, which has become a big issue in the presidential race, is a serious attempt to control federal spending and lower the deficit, two areas where Rand Paul says President Barack Obama has fallen woefully short.

The pick of Paul Ryan solidifies the Republican ticket's commitment to taking on the pressing issues like the deficit, entitlement reform and tax reform," Rand Paul told Business Insider. "Congressman Ryan's values and commitment to fixing our fiscal mess stands in stark contrast to Vice President Biden—and presents a clear choice to the American people."

The endorsement represents an effort by Senator Paul to present a united front behind the Romney-Ryan ticket, even though Paul has criticized the budget plan that the Wisconsin Rep. promoted as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Paul said it didn't go far enough in cutting the deficit or reducing defense spending.

Rand Paul earlier endorsed Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. The senator will be a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention in Tampa later this month.

But his father, Ron, a congressman from Texas with libertarian views, is still in the presidential race. He has acknowledged that he can't win the GOP nomination, but he has not endorsed Romney and is still trying to have an impact on the party platform. His supporters also want him to speak at the convention, but his influence appears to be fading. He is, for example, having difficulty persuading the Republican National Committee to seat the delegates his supporters say they won at state level conventions.”

This does not surprise me one bit. While agreeing with many of the senior Paul’s libertarian principles I find him to be both intransigent and a hypocrite. Ron Paul and his supporters remind me of the Middle-Age inquisitors who would burn people at the state for heresy. Heresy to Paul and his most fervent supporters believe any opinion that differs from theirs, no matter how slight, is heresy and the person holding that opinion should be shunned or punished. What they really want to be is the only dog on the porch and they are willing to let the country go down the drain by either sitting home on Election Day or voting for Gary Johnson, a Libertarian who has as much chance as a snowball in hell of winning even one state. What they will do, however, is draw votes away from the Romney/Ryan ticket and in a close race this could give Obama four more years. Then what will they do — continue to complain and harp on their principles while the county goes down the drain?

I call Ron Paul a hypocrite because of how he deals with earmarks. He constantly harps on the evils of earmarks but manages to get them for his district inserted into a bill that he then votes against knowing the bill will pass without his vote and then he can say that he voted against them. This is hypocrisy.

Our Founders held many of the beliefs that Ron Paul and his supporters espouse. They also knew that in a Republic there would be many beliefs or factions and that no one faction should rule. This would be tyranny. Paul and his supporters are purists. They believe it’s their way or the highway. If you differ one iota from their platform you are not worthy of their support. You can support 90% of what they espouse, but that’s not good enough. They are great at espousing policy but they do not know how to govern. To govern a county, state or nation you must be able to bring coalitions together.

We have been governed by progressive and socialist policies for almost 100 years and the Ron Paul and his Paulites believe they can change our government and laws overnight. Hey believe that by electing Ron Paul he will wave a magic wand and we will return to 1787. This is not going to happen. Even in 1787 there were conflicting beliefs on how this nation should be governed and it took a Constitution Convention to hammer out a Constitution that would be a workable means of governance.

Suppose Paul was elected and once in office he appointed all of cadre or true believers to cabinet and government posts. He would still have a Congress and hostile media to deal with. He would also have states run by progressives to deal with. Could he eliminate the Department of Education and Health and Human Services by waving his libertarian wand? Could he close all oversees military bases without the approval of Congress. Could he eliminate Social Security and Medicare without having a suitable replacement? I think not.

It is going to take more than one election to move this republic back what it was intended to be. Harping, criticizing, and threatening to take you ball and go home will not accomplish anything. Right now we have a GOP nominee with Tea Party support that if elected will begin the process of tearing down what the progressive and socialist have built. If you are looking for angels to transform what the progressives have done you won’t find any. As the Chinese philosopher Confucius said; “the longest journey begins with the first step” and the first step is to defeat Barack Hussein Obama.++