By Phil Giraldi
It was perhaps inevitable that the GOP would turn on the Ron Paul supporters to eliminate them from their version of a body politic. I predicted it would take place and so did a number of others. But what has been surprising is the timing. It seemed reasonable to assume that the Republican gatekeepers would wait until after the convention or even the election to keep the Paulistas in harness and supportive, nurturing their faint hopes that their message would somehow have an impact, encouraging them to vote for Mitt Romney. But the Republican Party leadership decided instead to purge Paul supporters at both the state and local level and also on the convention floor. As Justin Raimondo has noted, a harrowing worthy of Josef Stalin took place in a number of states employing procedural ploys, stripping delegates of their accreditation, and even illegal closing of caucuses, which denied to Ron Paul’s supporters any ability to have significant impact at the convention. The deal was sealed when the GOP rules committee revised its convention guidelines, initially to make it impossible to cast dissident votes or to propose nominations from the floor, and subsequently to allow the national party to veto and replace state delegates. As one Associate Press report put it somewhat laconically in an early report on convention preparations “Republican officials have reduced the ranks of Paul delegates.” Jordan Bloom, who attended the Paul events in Tampa, reported that Paul’s supporters were angry and frustrated, many having experienced political corruption up close and personal for the first time. One friend of mine on Capitol Hill likened the caucus deals finally arrived at in various states to having a burglar steal everything you own and then return a couple of days later to give you half back if you do not complain. That’s what happened. The Paul supporters were outgunned and out-muscled and, led by a campaign team that wanted accommodation, wound up taking what they could get.
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End the Fed. That's where we go from here. The Fed is what truly finances our wars and our empire. But foreign policy is going on the back burner very soon. The economy is headed for a crack-up, and we soon won't be able to afford all those overseas bases and entanglements.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is no longer about how to fix the problem. It's too late for that. The issue is who will pick up the pieces when the establishment crashes because the response to that crash will likely be a command economy if teh left prevails or a more free-market economy if the right prevails.
A command economy will not lead to the restoration of our liberties because even those leftists who claim to favor civil liberties will need those powers to run their economy.
But the Republican Right, which is outside of the political establishment will readily embrace a program of constitutional conservatism and such a program does not include the Patriot Act or the NDAA.
So far the Republican Right has been sold a bill of goods by the neo-cons, and they have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. But an economic crash will take that option off the table. People who have been saying, "I like Ron Paul except for his foreign policy," will be dropping the qualifier and admit that he was right all along.
The liberty movement needs to be ready to step in an unify the anti-big government forces that have, thus far, been co-opted by neo-con and establishment forces. An economic collapse can be the catalyst to make that happen.
Romney and the establishment have been hurt by the shenanigans at, and leading up to, the GOP convention. Conservatives are up in arms over the rule changes. Governor LePage of Maine, not a Ron Paul supporter, still refused to attend the convention.
Long-term, the liberty movement wins by default as the establishment discredits itself. Where we go from here is to keep pushing the message. Foreign policy does not need to be front and center of that message because we have no influence there in the short-term, and the long-term guarantees that we will all be non-interventionists.
I think the GOP felt comfortable screwing Paul supporters over now since they knew Romney wouldn't get any of their support. But I read an article today that the "Tea Party" isn't happy since they aren't getting any mention at the convention, just an attempt to appear more "moderate"? The Dems can take their base for granted, GOP so as much. Obama will win bigger this time around. (Barring a stock market crash)
ReplyDeleteStock market crash...exactly. If the banks want Romney to win he'll win.
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