Why Progressives should take a Second look at the Good Doctor!

By J.M. Hamilton

"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty."

- Ronald Wilson Reagan

He’s an iconoclast, a Texan, a lightning rod, and the third rail of American politics, personified.  He’s upsetting to Republicans and Democrats, alike.  He stands for freedom in extremis.  He’s a throwback, a political freak, and he reminds us of what the Republican Party was over a half century ago when it was, for the most part, grand.  He’s old and crusty.  And for all these reasons Ron Paul holds some appeal for this author.  Anybody who can upset the established order of things, and yet, attract American youth to politics is worth paying attention too.

It is the intellectual side of Mr. Paul, and his embrace of freedom that this blog finds most attractive.  And if we, as individuals, are often defined by both, our friends and our enemies, then politicians are often defined by both the positions they take and the resulting reaction.  As progressives are, increasingly, feeling left out in the cold by this administration, a second look at Mr. Paul’s core positions on several key issues is worth reviewing, and of equal importance, the reaction Mr. Paul’s positions ignite.  Let’s take a look:

1)      Mr. Paul appears to be in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana and greater civil liberties.    And who does this upset?  I don’t know… possibly, Big Pharma, police unions, and the state authorized beer, wine and liquor distribution monopolies.  Oh, and did I mention the South and Central American drug cartels, they too, would not be in favor of the end of Prohibition (aka President Nixon’s War of Drugs), and the black markets and obscene profits Prohibition creates for said cartels.

2)      The good Doctor is not a fan of American jingoism, and the, endless, wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  The upset parties:  Well that would by the MIC, primarily, who depends upon a constant enemy, or threat, to insure a never ending stream of government largess directed at its financial statements.  As this blog has argued, foreign governments and some corporations, enjoying the protections of the U.S. military and NATO, seemingly without cost, also would not be fan of Mr. Paul’s position.  Make no mistake about it, this blog is a huge fan of the men and women in uniform who defend this country, and the industries that arm and protect these men and women; but “nation building” in the narco-terrorist country of Afghanistan, arguably, should not be a part of their mission, particularly when our government and Western democracies provide financial aid in the billions, and petrol dollars in the billions, to our enemies in the region, the Pakistani and Saudi governments, respectively.

3)      Mr. Paul has a great disdain for the Fed, and the “Bankocracy,” that exercises outsized influence on this country and the governments of Western and Central Europe.  In a recent Bloomberg Surveillance Broadcast with Ken Prewitt and Tom Keene, Lew Rockwell of the Mises Institute, and a former chief of staff to Mr. Paul, notes just how damaging the Federal Reserve is to Main Street and the average person, while throwing off money to the banking cartel, and aiding and abetting the Wall Street bank’s all consuming and nihilistic worship of the quick and leveraged buck.  This blog, and others, have written extensively about the destabilizing effects to the economy, the huge fiscal drag, and the burden placed upon the American worker and business, that government sanctioned monopolies create.  The solution Mr. Rockwell argues is bankruptcy and restructuring.  Upon hearing Mr. Rockwell speak, one almost hopes that the Republican Party’s efforts to overturn the fatally flawed Dodd-Frank legislation do succeed.  All the better to bring about more rapidly the next, inevitable, financial crisis, and the much needed break-up of the “bankocracy.”  Until then, look no further than the Japanese economy, over the last two decades, as to what awaits this country and Europe.

If you’re a liberal, or a progressive, or otherwise sentient member of society, you’ve got to be scratching your head.  Let’s see, we now have had the Bush administration, and, by way of comparison, for the last two years, the Obama administration, and what has changed?   We still have two full blown wars, not including a forty year old war on drugs and the resulting hot war just South of our border - in Mexico, and after the banks nearly destroy the known civilized world, the Wall Street cartel is still calling the shots in Washington.  (Granted, President Obama has made some strides and improvements, in a very difficult situation.)

At this point, Mr. Paul is sounding pretty damn rational!  The problem is Mr. Paul, and the citizens who formed the Tea Party movement, have been co-opted, subsumed, muzzled, and triangulated by Republican Party pros, like Dick Armey, and the billionaire Koch brothers.  And for evidence of this look no further then the recent coronation of the 112^th U.S. Congress, where the Republican party is already reneging on its pledge to cut $100 billion from this year’s federal budget (roughly 2 to 3% of Federal outlays for 2011, per OMB).  The darling of the Republican Party, and “uber-fiscal hawk,” Rep. Ryan, appears to be back sliding.  And while we are talking about the disingenuous and irrational, look no further than the Republican Party’s move to declare tax cuts as fiscally neutral, when we all know that tax cuts, not supported by spending reductions, add up to deficit spending and greater government borrowing.  But the Republicans don’t have the heart to cut spending, nor do they have the chops to govern, especially when it comes time to educate the public and make the really tough decisions.

Instead of joining with Democrats to address the crucial problems of the day, the Republicans in the House intend to engage in political masturbation by rejecting the Obama Healthcare plan, only to see this exercise rejected in the Senate or face a veto on the President’s desk.  Great!  Run down the clock to 2012, and score political points, while Washington’s balance sheets run red and Americans suffer.  On the other hand, the true job killers, bankers, hedge funds, and private equity, are happy because the heat's off.

Politics, indeed, makes for strange bed fellows!  Admittedly, Mr. Paul would not pass the “Robert Reich litmus test,” as a doctrinaire liberal; and that’s all right too, because Mr. Paul’s greatest contribution, ultimately, is providing competition to the political oligopoly that runs our nation.  And the sooner Mr. Paul, and his followers, realize that they have not been taken seriously, but rather, used and abused by the Republican party once again, the sooner they may get on with the business of creating a third party that will provide a direct counter point to the Democrats and Republicans. 

As President Reagan noted, concentration of power truly is a direct threat to our liberty, and I would add a threat to our well being and to the nation’s financial health. And just as government sanctioned monopoly and oligopoly are bad for the private sector and the consumer, political monopoly and oligopoly are even worse for the public sector and the voter.  There is a lack of honest dialogue coming out of Washington, and when there is some adult-like candor, it almost inevitably comes from Mr. Paul.  Disagree with Mr. Paul’s proposed solutions, sure, debate is always welcome, as are alternative ideas and solutions, but at least this man is highlighting the problems of the day, and has been for years.  Mr. Paul and the Tea Party movement do not have all the answers to address the nation’s ills, and some of their proposed solutions are unacceptable to many, but they can make legitimate contributions to the solution. The sooner they part company with the big government elite within the Republican Party, the better for our nation.

Both Democrat and Republican politicians can use a little competition.