Ron Paul

I don’t want Ron Paul to be president. (I’d probably vote for him against Obama, but then I’d probably consider voting  for Boss Tweed, Boss Hogg, or Liberty Valance against Obama.) There are better candidates in the Republican race, and Paul has too much going against him to be a desirable candidate. Still I’m glad he is in the race.  He serves two important purposes by being there.

First he  performs the same tactical function for some libertarian ideas with his candidacy that Norman  Thomas did for some socialistic ideas with his years ago - that of  putting strong, ideological positions before large numbers of voters, getting  some attention from the press, and pulling some of the so-called mainstream politicians in his direction.  This is useful but less important  than it would have been if there were not a number of other ways to introduce libertarian ideas to a wider public (or if he had been a better, more sensible, and responsible spokesman).

The most important thing Paul has done in his run for the presidency is call attention to the hypocrisy of many of those in the political establishment. Washington is crawling with unclothed emperors, and he has been rude enough to point out the nakedness of  quite a number.  Conservatives who claim to revere the Constitution but want presidents to have the unconstitutional power to start undeclared foreign wars,  leftists  who sermonize against Wall Street bankers while feeding  those same fat cats from the public trough, “good government” types who speak earnestly  of a need for openness in government while supporting a secretive federal reserve,  a president who rhapsodizes about loving  the middle class while saddling it with massive annual increases in debt burden, traditional media people who want laissez faire for their business and command and control for everyone else,  and other assorted characters have had a bit of unwelcomed light shined their way by the Paul campaign.

That may be the main reason why he is held in such contempt by members of the establishment – not for what he proposes but for what he has had the  bad manners to say and reveal about them. By that alone  the man, odd as he is, is performing a valuable public service.