Liberty Maven

The Ron Paul presidential campaign started its sky high trajectory about one year ago. Much has happened since then. A few major fund raising “money bombs”, countless rallies, several magical debate moments, and how can anyone forget the Ron Paul Blimp? The true believer grassroots supporters have lived and breathed all Ron Paul for the past year.

Now that the realization has dawned that Ron Paul will not be on the ballot in November what are they to do? Who will they support? Ron Paul is a unique icon of anti-establishment truth. There is unlikely to be a candidate like him ever again. Sure there may be a candidate who jumps on his coat tails and rides along in an attempt to get monumental support, but Ron Paul supporters can smell faux candidates a mile away. Even if they couldn’t, many are so married to Ron Paul that they may be blinded by their adoration of him. For me, before there was Ron Paul there was Harry Browne. Browne was the Libertarian nominee for President in 1996 and 2000. He introduced my young mind to liberty. He made me a libertarian. Ron Paul’s message of 2008 was Harry Browne’s message of 1996 and 2000.

The freedom message existed prior to Ron Paul. It will exist post Ron Paul. What makes Paul so unique is his historical honesty and integrity. You have to look very hard to find any level of “flip flopping” in his political career that dates back over 30 years. To find such unwavering truth in a human being you must look outside of politics. Even then you’d be hard pressed to find an equal. It is this reason he is able to attract so many supporters with such wildly varying backgrounds and ideologies. Anarchists cheer along side Socialists at his rallies. As do Democrats and Republicans. No matter what political beliefs you hold it is difficult not to be attracted to the aura of purity Ron Paul exudes.

Now his supporters are left with a decision. Who will they support now? Knowing there is no equal to Ron Paul it seems most are left empty inside. Some say they will write in his name on the ballot. I caution those that do this. Your vote is your own, but please consider the following. It was Ron Paul himself who always said that it is about the freedom message, not the man. It is about maximizing human liberty. Who, of the remaining candidates who have a chance of being on the ballot will champion that message with the most effect?

Ignoring the two likely nominees of the major parties because no purveyor of true liberty would ever consider voting for either, who is left? There are only two parties that come close to Ron Paul’s message: The Constitution Party and The Libertarian Party.

The Constitution Party’s nominee is Chuck Baldwin. He is a pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. He hosts a weekly radio program and writes a twice-weekly news column carried on VDARE.com. He was a leader in the Florida Moral Majority movement in 1980 and 1984 and helped carry the state for Reagan/Bush in those elections. In 2000, he left the Republican Party on grounds that George W. Bush was too liberal. In 2004 he was Michael Peroutka’s running mate on the Constitution Party ticket. He officially endorsed Ron Paul for President. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Libertarian Party has yet to select its nominee. That will be the main order of business at this weekend’s Libertarian Party Convention in Denver, CO. The four most likely nominees are: Bob Barr, Mike Gravel, Wayne Allyn Root, and Mary Ruwart. It is difficult to make a case for supporting Mike Gravel. He switched to the Libertarian Party this year after losing out in the Democratic Party nomination process. He is a supporter of nationalized health care, a carbon tax, and global government. These issues run counter to libertarian principles. (Source: Wikipedia)

Mary Ruwart is a long time Libertarian activist and a friend of Ron Paul. She is the author of a bestselling 1992 book called Healing Our World: The Other Piece of the Puzzle. She ran unsuccessfully as a Libertarian for the U.S. Senate in 2000, facing the incumbent Kay Bailey Hutchison. She is well loved by long time Libertarians. (Source: Wikipedia)

Wayne Allyn Root is a long time Republican turned Libertarian. He is a business mogul, television celebrity, best-selling author, TV producer, and a professional sports handicapper. He is working on a book with a working title, “The Conscience Of A Libertarian”. (Source: Wikipedia)

Bob Barr is a former Republican U.S. Congressman from Georgia. He joined the Libertarian Party in 2006 after feeling betrayed by the GOP. He gained national fame as the leader of the Bill Clinton impeachment hearings. In 2002, he was described as “the idol of the gun-toting, abortion-fighting, IRS-hating hard right wing of American politics.” His criticism of the Bush administration’s encroachment on privacy and other civil liberties after the 9/11 attacks was unusual among House Republicans. (Source: Wikipedia)

All of these candidates, with perhaps the exception of Mike Gravel, are running on Ron Paul’s message. There is little major disagreement between them on the issues. They are all in favor of limited government, privacy, protecting civil liberties, low taxes, cutting spending, free markets, and maximizing freedom. On issues such as abortion and immigration they may have their differences, but the goal of liberty remains true.

Now for the kicker: Not a single one of them will win the presidency this year. 2012 may be a different story if the cards are played right in 2008. The best strategic choice to set the table for a potential winning Ron Paul style candidate in 2012 is Bob Barr. Some Ron Paul supporters have spoken out against him, but they miss the point. Please understand this: Bob Barr is not going to win, but he is the candidate most likely to maximize the number of votes for a Ron Paul message. For this reason his past votes on the Patriot Act and the Iraq War Authorization are irrelevant. His past support of the Drug War is meaningless. The simple fact is: A vote for Bob Barr is a vote for Ron Paul’s message.

The only trouble with supporting the other candidates is that they are not likely to get enough aggregate votes to send a message that sets the stage for a Ron Paul candidate to seriously challenge the establishment in 2012. They just won’t give the Ron Paul message enough media visibility due to them being relatively unknown. Bob Barr is likely to get more than 5% of the vote in the general election, and perhaps much more than 5%. He may even get enough support in polls to be included in nationally televised debates with the two major party candidates. Getting more than 5% of the vote qualifies the party for public funds, which is an odd thing to hope for as a limited government libertarian, but it immediately adds legitimacy to the party, even if those funds are not accepted.

It is for these strategic reasons that I will be throwing all of my support behind Bob Barr. He still needs to get the Libertarian Party nomination this weekend and the party is known as not being predictable when it comes to their nominees. I will be very disappointed if Bob Barr leaves the convention without the nomination.

Though no matter who is nominated it is certainly nice to know that Ron Paul’s electrifying message of freedom, prosperity, and peace will continue channeling through these candidates, the many Ron Paul Republicans, and the one million plus people that voted for him during the primary season. I’m not sure if it should be deemed a revolution, or if it has reached the level of a true movement, but whatever it is– it sure is inspiring to be a part of it.

Whether Ron Paul is ultimately a divider or a uniter is a question currently unanswerable. We do know he has been a force for unity in the past year. For the future, the answer will be played out in the next 3-5 years and an immediate contribution to that answer is whomever walks away with the Libertarian nomination this weekend.