What is it that drives such passion in Ron Paul followers to work so hard online to raise money and his profile?
To the uninformed masses it would seem his popularity is driven by being the only Republican to decry the war in Iraq. But that is not what he is about. His followers care little about that war other than what it costs them in out of pocket silver. Rather his base is the most extreme right-wing constituency in America. It is not only driven by the Libertarian Party, but encompasses the vast array of racist organizations, right-wing militias, NRA Life Members, and above all, those who hate paying taxes so much it should scare the Hell out of you. After all, without taxes where would we find the money to put all the bad Negroes in jail, or build a wall across Texas or bomb the crap out of people with funny names?
Though not having to pay any taxes, elimination of government services, relief from environmental, economic and civil rights regulation, and a machine gun in every hand go along well with the legalization of crystal meth, it is his issue of States' Rights Today, States' Rights Tomorrow and States' Rights Forever that drives the passion.
Ron Paul's interpretation of the constitution leaves out the Judaical branch, to him Marbury versus Madison was just a bad dream. He believes that each state should be able to pick and choose what Supreme Court decisions they will or will not accept as law. This of course sends us not only back to 150 years of Jim Crow, but back to pre Civil War days.
White Only bathrooms in Florida? Death penalty for women who have abortions in Texas? Creationism in Biology class in Kansas? Brothers marrying their sisters in Kentucky? 200 wives in Utah? Slavery in Mississippi? Up to 20 years in jail for a BJ in Georgia? (opps, we already have that one). In Ron Paul World, whatever horror you can imagine can become reality.
His game is to hide his true beliefs behind the old racist canard of States' Rights. Rather than express his rabid beliefs on abortion, gays, African Americans, a gun in every hand and tearing asunder the Separation of Church and State, he simply utters his standard response. "I would allow each state to decide that." Those of us nearby him or who have followed his antics since his run for President as a Libertarian in 1988 are not fooled.
In the world of Right-wing lunacy, Ron Paul has no peer.
UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention by not a few people that the majority of his supporters are not a cabal of the most radical right-wingers in America (they are of course his core), but rather his present surge is from stupid ill informed clueless children. The DUH Generation. Okay, I agree.
Dude, what have you been smoking?
Ron Paul could care less about PEACE, he and his following just don't want to pay any taxes that support war or anything else for that matter. I am not fooled. Sorry.
Many of them are very young and they are generally anti-war and anti-authority and utterly disgusted with the Dems as well as Bushies. And going with a plain spoken, on the fringe Republican is more of a novelty for them than supporting a Kucinich or a Gravel (who incidentally are probably more on the same page). They know little of his anti-choice, anti-public school, etc. views.
As for freepers, they love war, get a boner over GOP authority and would love to throw dissenters into camps. They have very little in common with Ron Paul. The rabidly pro-property, states rights contingent is tiny and in no way accounts for Ron Paul's current popularity.
Really? Ron Paul couldn't care about peace? How come he voted against the War in Iraq, unlike 99% of Democrats. Not only that, he argues for trade and peace, specifically railing against "trading at gunpoint" in the REPUBLICAN DEBATE. That's near suicide among crazy neocons, who dominate the party. How can you dispute that?
The real word for LOCAL AUTONOMY is BALKANIZATION. Where nations are split into smaller racial, religious and political factions. Much like 1861. And I have no doubt thats where Paul wants to go.
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