Ron Paul's Tea Party
Instead of Politics
How to reignite the revolution
In a telling moment, war hawk and neoconservative talk radio personality Rush Limbaugh made the outlandish statement that presidential candidate and long time Congressman Dr. Ron Paul has nothing to do with the tea party. The fact that any notable radio personality would try to get away with a claim that can be disproven with a simple Google search is astounding in and of itself. But for someone as big as Limbaugh to do so shows how desperate the GOP establishment has become. While we have all come to expect the state-licensed media to black out the good doctor, for the "right" - who claim to oppose such censorship - to participate is blatant hypocrisy.
The tea party is a tax protest movement plain and simple. It has no foreign or domestic policy other than relief from taxation and requiring compliance with Constitutional restrains over the tyrants in Washington. The tea party does not have any agenda other than to go for the jugular of political cronyism. Of course, the movement was quickly hijacked by GOP opportunists - many of whom rode it straight to Washington. But in its unadulterated form, it has Ron Paul written all over it. And most important, the dragon slayer himself started the whole thing.
On December 16, 2011, the Ron Paul campaign will be hosting a second Tea Party Money Bomb similar to the one held in 2007 that dropped over $6,200,000 on his second presidential campaign and launched what is now widely referred to as the Tea Party movement. The libertarian constitutionalist did not win that presidential campaign - due in large part to a concerted blackout by the official news media. But he scored big time - both financially and ideologically. This time around, the White House is within reach.
Dr. Paul has put libertarianism on the map - a remarkable feat in itself. But one need not be a libertarian to be quite comfortable voting for the man, because he has demonstrated that his respect for the Constitution takes precedence over ideology. Although he has strong opinions on abortion, for example, he takes his oath of office seriously enough to keep the issue in the hands of the states where it belongs. Since it is not an enumerated power, jurisdiction over abortion is clearly not a federal issue. Through his many years in office, his voting record shows a remarkable Constitutional consistency and rock-solid resistance to the temptation of influence peddling by special interests.
Now all Republican candidates must pay lip service to Dr. Paul's "tea party" in the same way they evoke the sacred Constitution. However, a quick look at the voting records of the other front runners in the presidential race - all of whom claim to represent the tea party - will dispel any belief that these imitators, flip-floppers, and hypocrites are true opponents of Leviathan. They all represent cronyism - which is at odds with the revolution.
As president, Dr. Paul has vowed to cut $1,000,000,000,000.00 (one trillion dollars) from the federal budget in one year and balance it in three. Now that's what we're talking about!
For war hawks like Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, et al, the tea party is whatever they declare it to be. Their voice has been loud enough to mold it into another pillar of the military-industrial complex. Thankfully they are wrong - historically, ideologically, practically, and morally. The ends do not justify the means. The revolution has always opposed both the nanny state on the left and the police state on the right. The revolution aims to clip both wings of the dragon and put it back into its constitutional chains. Wars must be authorized by Congress. Torture is illegal. Powers not delegated to Washington by the Constitution are reserved for the States and the people. Any changes in the powers of Washington must be done through amendment.
Even as the old guard continues trying desperately to ignore or demonize its archenemy, and as the official media continues its aggressive blackout, Doctor Paul has been surging in the polls, and is within striking distance of winning the early primary states - where he is campaigning heavily. He is quickly gaining on Gingrich in Iowa, who's lead over Paul has quickly dropped from nine points to one in just one week.
Is it possible for someone who consistently complies with his oath of office to snub his nose at the fat cats in Washington and take residence in the White House? Is it possible to restore the Constitution as the law of the land?
If Tea Party 2011 is anywhere near as big as Tea Party 2007, it may be as path-breaking as Tea Party 1773.
