Comments on: Recognizing the Lessons of the Ron Paul Revolution http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/ Political Commentary and Analysis from the GOP's Future Leaders and Visionaries Sun, 23 May 2010 19:36:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Aaron Marks http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-329 Aaron Marks Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:31:04 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-329 Michael, I especially like your statement that, "Libertarian ideas are at their core conservative ideas." Excellent point. Michael, I especially like your statement that, “Libertarian ideas are at their core conservative ideas.” Excellent point.

]]> By: Michael McDonnough http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-328 Michael McDonnough Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:29:00 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-328 Ron Paul's staunch anti-war message was his greatest draw. His staunch small limited government pro constitutional stance was hand in hand with this. Republicans have for a generation eroded the party into one of a socialist nationalist religious zealot filled plutocracy. Ron Paul has tried to remind the party of its conservative roots. Libertarian ideas are at their core conservative ideas. Republicans have gone in the wrong direction and are advocates of legislating morality which is an abhorrent idea as it leads to bigger more intrusive government institutions as we see today. The thing the Republican party needs to learn from Ron Paul and the R3volution is that the ideas of big government are the spawn of people wanting the government to solve every problem and weigh in on every dispute. This means more laws and more regulation and more government every time. The Republicans need to take from this lesson the most salient fact that the people want this government whittled down to as small as an operational budget as possible and this includes foreign intervention. Their is no part of the constitution that allows the Republic to act as an Empire with bases in countries all over the world. We need to start shutting this down. Look at this as the time of the Roman Empire where they abandoned Haden's wall, marched out of England and went back to Italy for good. They did it because they could no longer afford the expense of Empire and neither can the United States today. Ron Paul’s staunch anti-war message was his greatest draw. His staunch small limited government pro constitutional stance was hand in hand with this.

Republicans have for a generation eroded the party into one of a socialist nationalist religious zealot filled plutocracy. Ron Paul has tried to remind the party of its conservative roots.

Libertarian ideas are at their core conservative ideas. Republicans have gone in the wrong direction and are advocates of legislating morality which is an abhorrent idea as it leads to bigger more intrusive government institutions as we see today.

The thing the Republican party needs to learn from Ron Paul and the R3volution is that the ideas of big government are the spawn of people wanting the government to solve every problem and weigh in on every dispute. This means more laws and more regulation and more government every time.

The Republicans need to take from this lesson the most salient fact that the people want this government whittled down to as small as an operational budget as possible and this includes foreign intervention. Their is no part of the constitution that allows the Republic to act as an Empire with bases in countries all over the world. We need to start shutting this down.

Look at this as the time of the Roman Empire where they abandoned Haden’s wall, marched out of England and went back to Italy for good. They did it because they could no longer afford the expense of Empire and neither can the United States today.

]]> By: LibertyNow http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-58 LibertyNow Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:45:37 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-58 I'm in full agreement with Ruud. The current group of mainstream Republicans lack true principles. Ron Paul has such strong convictions for freedom, and limited government, basically the exact opposite of what we are hearing from today's GOP. How as a Republican could Romney get away with socializing healthcare in Massachusettes? No conservative in his/her right mind would even consider the possibility of trying something so rediculous. And Republicans are looking at him to help lead the party? Unless the Republican party can start looking at the principles and policies that guide people like Goldwater and Paul they will continue to lose to democrats because today's GOP contrasts very little from many democrats. I’m in full agreement with Ruud. The current group of mainstream Republicans lack true principles. Ron Paul has such strong convictions for freedom, and limited government, basically the exact opposite of what we are hearing from today’s GOP. How as a Republican could Romney get away with socializing healthcare in Massachusettes? No conservative in his/her right mind would even consider the possibility of trying something so rediculous. And Republicans are looking at him to help lead the party?

Unless the Republican party can start looking at the principles and policies that guide people like Goldwater and Paul they will continue to lose to democrats because today’s GOP contrasts very little from many democrats.

]]> By: Ruud http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-57 Ruud Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:52:13 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-57 Like most of the posts on this young blog, the point is missed yet again. You credit Ron Paul only for fundraising, organization and youth appeal, yet fail to address the very policies that he advocates as a recommendation for the Republican Party's future. I'd be so much happier if the Republican primary featured 7 Ron Paul-types and 3 Huckabee/Palin/Romney-types rather than the current selection. Like most of the posts on this young blog, the point is missed yet again. You credit Ron Paul only for fundraising, organization and youth appeal, yet fail to address the very policies that he advocates as a recommendation for the Republican Party’s future.

I’d be so much happier if the Republican primary featured 7 Ron Paul-types and 3 Huckabee/Palin/Romney-types rather than the current selection.

]]> By: sisterconservative http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-52 sisterconservative Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:41:23 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-52 I believe Thane is right about voters thinking the Democrats are the party of individual freedom..unfortunately they are wrong about that. Ron Reagan once said that the heart of Conservatism was Libertarianism, and I think that's what the young people responded to so well from Ron Paul. I reviewed the link and I would say there were only a couple of things on there that I disagreed with. I'm not really comfortable with ending the drug war - although I do know it has been a miserable failure. I think I just haven't read enough about it's sucesses or failures to know for sure yet whether I could be in favor of that. I do think legalizing marijuana could be allowed and again turned over to the states to decide - and that's a conservative issue because it shrinks the size of the Federal government and gives power back to the states, who could ban it if they wanted to. I do believe the Patriot act needs to be repealed because I know it allows things that are direct violations of the Constitution and while our current president may not use those powers in unintended ways, who's to say that a future president wouldn't. We must safeguard our privacy because our founders faught for it. There are other laws already in place that allow the intelligence gathering we need. I would also say I would not agree with federal funding for stem cell research... not because I am prolife but because I don't believe that people should be forced into having their tax dollars used to pay for something that they find "morally abhorrent". I believe that is a Jefferson quote. In other words, federal tax dollars shouldn't be spent on issues that have moral strings attached, like abortion, gay marriage, religious education, etc... These things should be funded privately and voluntarily. That way, if I don't beleive in it, I can rest assured that I'm not contributing to it and if you do, you can fund it yourself. I am finding more and more that small federal government and powerful state and local governments really are the way to solve a great percentage of our problems. And it can be presented in a way that comes across as compassionate instead of polarizing. I believe Thane is right about voters thinking the Democrats are the party of individual freedom..unfortunately they are wrong about that. Ron Reagan once said that the heart of Conservatism was Libertarianism, and I think that’s what the young people responded to so well from Ron Paul. I reviewed the link and I would say there were only a couple of things on there that I disagreed with. I’m not really comfortable with ending the drug war – although I do know it has been a miserable failure. I think I just haven’t read enough about it’s sucesses or failures to know for sure yet whether I could be in favor of that. I do think legalizing marijuana could be allowed and again turned over to the states to decide – and that’s a conservative issue because it shrinks the size of the Federal government and gives power back to the states, who could ban it if they wanted to. I do believe the Patriot act needs to be repealed because I know it allows things that are direct violations of the Constitution and while our current president may not use those powers in unintended ways, who’s to say that a future president wouldn’t. We must safeguard our privacy because our founders faught for it. There are other laws already in place that allow the intelligence gathering we need. I would also say I would not agree with federal funding for stem cell research… not because I am prolife but because I don’t believe that people should be forced into having their tax dollars used to pay for something that they find “morally abhorrent”. I believe that is a Jefferson quote. In other words, federal tax dollars shouldn’t be spent on issues that have moral strings attached, like abortion, gay marriage, religious education, etc… These things should be funded privately and voluntarily. That way, if I don’t beleive in it, I can rest assured that I’m not contributing to it and if you do, you can fund it yourself. I am finding more and more that small federal government and powerful state and local governments really are the way to solve a great percentage of our problems. And it can be presented in a way that comes across as compassionate instead of polarizing.

]]> By: Thane http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-45 Thane Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:40:52 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-45 How could someone go from voting for Paul to voting for Obama? Check out this link of various people's opinions on the top 25 things for Barack to "fix." <a href="http://fixthisbarack.com/" rel="nofollow">Hope I did this right</a> Nearly half of the 25 things listed on that list are anti-government type items. Things that would weaken the power of the government. I'm not saying I agree with those items, but many young people look at the Democrats as the party of individual freedom (that affects them or the friends) and republicans as the party of "alien" individual freedoms (things like guns, SUVs, prayer - things they don't care at all about). Republicans need to be the party of individual freedom and not just on things that are "strange" to youth voters. We keep the 2nd amendment freedoms and capitalist freedoms and explain the freedoms we want to protect for youth. Tie them all together. How could someone go from voting for Paul to voting for Obama? Check out this link of various people’s opinions on the top 25 things for Barack to “fix.”

Hope I did this right

Nearly half of the 25 things listed on that list are anti-government type items. Things that would weaken the power of the government.

I’m not saying I agree with those items, but many young people look at the Democrats as the party of individual freedom (that affects them or the friends) and republicans as the party of “alien” individual freedoms (things like guns, SUVs, prayer – things they don’t care at all about). Republicans need to be the party of individual freedom and not just on things that are “strange” to youth voters.

We keep the 2nd amendment freedoms and capitalist freedoms and explain the freedoms we want to protect for youth. Tie them all together.

]]> By: jrupchurch http://www.nextgengop.com/2008/11/13/recognizing-the-lessons-of-the-ron-paul-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-42 jrupchurch Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:02:22 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=253#comment-42 Mr. Marks, I am sorry that you felt the email sent by the Ron Paul supporter was condescending. I obviously haven't read it and it may have very well have been. As a Ron Paul supporter and a life long Republican, I understand the frustration of most Paul supporters with the direction of the party. I joined the party believing in small government, lower taxes, reducing government spending, and limiting foreign interventionism. I voted for Bush and other Republicans in 2000 because they ran on this traditional platform; however, I feel that I was betrayed by the party's eight year march to foreswear everyone of these principals and more. The bailout was one more large bail of straw on the camels back that solidified my belief that the Republican Party is not what it once was and may never be again. I hear ramblings that the Republican party needs to become more moderate, to win back the voters who turned to Obama. I feel that is the nonsense and the worst possible move for the Party. Those voters that left us and went to Obama wanted “change.” I don't think that many of them even understood what that change was, or that change could possibly worsen the situation. They all feel that the government is again getting us involved in foreign wars, spend more than it ever has, infringing liberties at every turn (some of which no one thought were touchable), making more enemies, and losing more respect in the world than it has in memory. They are correct and they where right for wanting change. I don't think they are going to get change and that is the Republican's advantage. I think you will start to see those voters who moved to Obama become disenfranchised in the off year and certainly by 2012. They will again be looking for change, but I think they will have a much better idea what that change needs to be. Ironically, it won't be what the Republican party is today, but what it was in the days of old. What they will want, even desperately, will be small government, lower taxes, reducing government spending, and limiting foreign interventionism. Freedom works, Jason Upchurch jason d o t upchurch a t g m a i l d o t c o m Mr. Marks,

I am sorry that you felt the email sent by the Ron Paul supporter was condescending. I obviously haven’t read it and it may have very well have been. As a Ron Paul supporter and a life long Republican, I understand the frustration of most Paul supporters with the direction of the party.

I joined the party believing in small government, lower taxes, reducing government spending, and limiting foreign interventionism. I voted for Bush and other Republicans in 2000 because they ran on this traditional platform; however, I feel that I was betrayed by the party’s eight year march to foreswear everyone of these principals and more. The bailout was one more large bail of straw on the camels back that solidified my belief that the Republican Party is not what it once was and may never be again.

I hear ramblings that the Republican party needs to become more moderate, to win back the voters who turned to Obama. I feel that is the nonsense and the worst possible move for the Party. Those voters that left us and went to Obama wanted “change.” I don’t think that many of them even understood what that change was, or that change could possibly worsen the situation. They all feel that the government is again getting us involved in foreign wars, spend more than it ever has, infringing liberties at every turn (some of which no one thought were touchable), making more enemies, and losing more respect in the world than it has in memory. They are correct and they where right for wanting change. I don’t think they are going to get change and that is the Republican’s advantage.

I think you will start to see those voters who moved to Obama become disenfranchised in the off year and certainly by 2012. They will again be looking for change, but I think they will have a much better idea what that change needs to be. Ironically, it won’t be what the Republican party is today, but what it was in the days of old. What they will want, even desperately, will be small government, lower taxes, reducing government spending, and limiting foreign interventionism.

Freedom works,

Jason Upchurch
jason d o t upchurch a t g m a i l d o t c o m

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