What Is Goin’ On?

He raised $4 million in campaign contributions in one day. He’s a Republican Congressman from Texas, but he would end the Iraq War quicker than any Democrat–or Republican. He carries a copy of the US Constitution in his pocket. He answers questions whether you like it or not. He thinks most of the federal agencies are illegal and should be abolished. He believes the States ought to have to fix their own problems, keep their own money and be responsible to their own people, not beholden to the money dispensers in Washington. His concept of government is not what we were taught in 10th grade civics. It is different, maybe even radical, and Ron Paul scares a lot of people because if he were elected and had his way, two things would happen: (1) all those power brokers in and out of government would experience what many average Americans experience everyday: unemployment and uncertainty about paying the mortgage by the 10th of the month, and (2) “we the people” would have to grow up and govern ourselves on a local level and could no longer blame Washington for our problems.

Or at least that is what Joe Seehusen, Deputy Campaign Manager for Ron Paul for President, told me. My thanks to Joe for the interview. While I won’t hold Ron Paul personally responsible for everything and anything Joe said, as Deputy Campaign Manager, I assume his answers reflect generally the attitude and approach of Ron Paul. For that reason, I will talk about Ron Paul, not Joe. Sorry, Joe, but I guess that just goes with the job.

While Ron Paul is elected as a Republican, he is a Libertarian if he is anything. And I don’t say that with any degree of criticism. Trained as an obstetrician, he is known as “Dr. No” because of his consistent votes against things like the “Bridge to NoWhere.”

Ron Paul (and Joe) believes in the Constitution like the religious right believes in the Bible. He is dead serious about restoring the power to the States, and in doing so, gutting the federal government. The problem with Ron Paul is he thinks we Americans are capable of governing ourselves, that instead of griping and moaning and being thankful there is someone else to blame, we could actually deal with most of our problems on a state by state basis.

While Ron Paul has recently gotten a boost, he is still in single digits in the polls. I don’t think he has a chance to win the election, but in many ways I wish he did. If he were in the lead, maybe it would prove to us that we really do want a candidate to tell us the truth, not just what we want to hear.

Take campaign finance. Most of us believe there is too much money in politics. We don’t like the power that lobbyists exert over the people that are supposed to be doing what is best for us. Most of us would probably support laws that restrict the influence of money. Ron Paul, however, thinks differently, radically different. I would say even refreshingly different. Joe would not represent himself as speaking for Ron Paul on this issue, so I have to say this is what Joe thought the answer to the problem is. The answer is to take away the power of the politicians to give the lobbyist what they want. If there are no federal agencies regulating business activities, if Congress isn’t passing budgets to spend trillions of our dollars, the things that lobbyist go to Washington for won’t exist. Now, that is a radically different way to look at the problem.

I feel about Ron Paul like I feel about ending the war in Iraq. I am ready to end the war tomorrow. I agree that I don’t know what would happen as the result of an immediate pullout, but I am willing to deal with whatever that brings rather than staying there another day. I truly wish we, as a nation, had the courage to elect someone like Ron Paul. I think he scares us because his ideas are radical, they are not what we are accustomed to. But, I know we would survive, and we just might be the better for it.

And why could Ron Paul raise $4 million in one day? Because there are a lot of people in this country that are not opposed to revolution, who are not married to the old ideas about government and how it should be run. They are growing in numbers and impatience. It is just a matter of time. It may be 2008. It may be 2012.

We may not elect Ron Paul next year, but I am confident that America is lost unless and until we grasp a radical new concept of government. That new concept may not be 100% Ron Paul or 100% Democrat or 100% Republican, but whatever it is, we need it to survive.