printYes, it’s all very endearing and cute: Young college kids, most of whom are not self-supporting, are supporting Ron Paul, age 76. Paul’s “college-aged volunteer army” has “descended on Iowa from around the nation to coax people to the state’s Republican caucuses.”
Are these kids mere libertines, more committed to toking it up than cutting an overweening state’s reach and spending? It doesn’t appear so. The New York Times believes that, “For the students, much of Mr. Paul’s appeal derives from civil libertarian views like ending the federal ban on marijuana and other drugs, as well as his desire to end foreign wars and his small-government credo.”
I have never been in favor of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, smuggled into the Constitution by statute. The Amendment artificially swelled the ranks of Democratic voters, which has further eroded any protections the Constitution afforded to private property, and swayed the balance of power in favor of those who “vote for a living,” as opposed “those who work for a living.”
However, if Ron Paul’s youthful devotees are voting for negative, leave-me-alone rights—then, by all means, hop on board and bring along your pals on the Left.
Having interacted with some of the young Paul voters, I do see some similarities with the adolescents who supported Obama 4 years ago. The Paul youth are at least well read on Paul’s direction and philosophy, but why the mad devotion to the man? I love Ron Paul, but I don’t Loooove Ron Paul. With many of the Paul youth, if you attempt to introduce nuance to a conversation (even when you’re agreeing with them), they blind you with their psychotic devotion. It’s similar to the Obamatons of 2008. What’s the common strain?
I suspect it’s the need that young people have for the ideal of purity. Someone they can believe in, invest themselves completely, and feel as though they won’t be betrayed. The left projected these qualities onto a young, handsome, “cultured” mixed-race man whom they identified with. The Ron Paul youth see a grandfatherly physician who has maintained a libertarian purity. (Sarah Palin’s devotees — of all ages — are also cultish, but I choose to ignore them, so they don’t offend me). Obama’s kiddie voters were the absolute pits of reason. Listening to them wax eloquent about what made Obama different, how he inspired them to “get involved”, how they cried on election night…*blech*.. made me feel like I was in Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory.
If it’s known that young people are willing to campaign for Ron Paul, other young people will get on board like the followers they are. Maybe, even if it frazzles, we will have a larger core of knowledgeable people to carry on to the next and next election. Who knows, when it all goes in the bucket, we might have enough people who understand to help lead us back to normality.
I’m afraid this has less to do with Randian philosophy than with the fact that Israel is quite unpopular on most (left-wing) US college campi. Since Ron Paul the only candidate in either party who is not a galley slave on the good ship Israel, he’ll have and retain a lot of student support.
The early 1960’s kids who marched for Goldwater became the bulwark of the later Reagan “conservatives”. The later anti-war kids of the 1960’s and 1970’s who went for Gene McCarthy, Bobby Kennedy, and George McGovern became the bulwark of the modern day left.
Ron Paul is not going to win in 2012 – the “mainstream” is far too powerful and older people far to scared of any changes in Socialist Insecurity and Medicare (even over decades) – the only hope for Liberty will be the young people who are sick of the generational debt, the idiotic wars, the phony chickenhawk patriotism, the affirmative action shams, the bureaucratic obstacles to economic development.
The only hope for the Republic is for the Republican party to be taken over by the Ron Paul youth or for the Republican
party to collapse.
Meanwhile, Newt failed to make the Virginia ballot (and he lives here!) but this gem is even cuter:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/virginia-republicans-to-require-loyalty-oath-for-primary-voters/2011/12/29/gIQABeTuOP_blog.html
Well, I promise to support Mitt Romney for President …. of Iran!
I disagree with Rebel that Ron Paul’s support (outside of a few loons whom, I GUARANTEE, will be prominently features by both Fox News and the New York Times) is motivated by anti-Israeli sentiment rather than libertarian sentiments.