Robert Reich: "South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint, the darling of the Tea Party wing nuts of the GOP, is urging Republican candidates to listen to Ron Paul."
Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
The Youthful Magic of Ron Paul
12 January 12
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outh Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint, the darling of the Tea Party wing nuts of the GOP, is urging Republican candidates to listen to Ron Paul. "One of the things that's hurt the so-called conservative alternative is saying negative things about Ron Paul," DeMint told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. "I'd like to see a Republican Party that embraces a lot of the libertarian ideas."
Why the sudden enthusiasm of Republican leaders for Ron Paul? Credit his surprisingly strong showing in New Hampshire, where 47 percent of primary voters between the ages of 18 and 29 voted for him.
No other Republican candidate has come nearly as close to winning over young voters - and the GOP desperately needs young voters. The median age of registered Republicans is rising faster than the median age of America.
The Republican right thinks Paul's views on the economy are responsible for this fire among the young. Yesterday evening, on Larry Kudlow's CNBC program, I squared off with Larry and the Wall Street Journal's Steve Moore. Both are convinced young people are attracted by Paul's strict adherence to the views of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, and Paul's desire to move America back to the gold standard.
Baloney. The young are flocking to Ron Paul because he wants to slice military spending, bring our troops home, stop government from spying on American citizens, and legalize pot.
So do I, but I somehow doubt Jim DeMint would advise Republican candidates to listen to me, even if I were a Republican candidate for President.
Paul is attractive to younger voters precisely because of positions he takes that are anathema to the vast majority of the Republican base, including almost all Tea Party Republicans.
If other Republican candidates want to cozy up to him, fine. But if they do, they'll have a lot of explaining to do in Bluffton, South Carolina.
On the other hand, if Republicans - or Democrats, for that matter - want to win over much of the nation's young next November, they'd do well to listen carefully to Paul's positions on national defense and civil liberties.
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Do you honestly think voting is going to stop this crisis? No. It won't, and you know it.
So, now what?
Honestly, Citizens United? It is Cat In The Hat, rub the spot off and it goes somewhere else.
Trump supporters think he is a reformer but of course he is nothing of the sort.
The Washinton regime will simply have to collapse as most corrupt governments do sooner or later. The states and regions will pick up the pieces and go on. Washington DC can be taken over by the Disney corporation and turned into a giant theme park. The Pentagon can be a house of horrors complete with death rides and torture chambers. The kiddies will be screaming for their lives.
The White House will become what it has always been -- the national Whore House complete with blow jobs from the Republican wives charity club. Disney won't need to make many renovations. The funhouse is all set up. K-Street is where you will go to get your ass wiped clean. Lobbiests will be able to keep their million dollar apartments and keep their jobs.
It's been my experience that the people holding all the aces are usually reluctant to change the card game.
What we have is a shake down racket. Certain billionaires and corporations buy politicians who then write into legislation certain measures that result in money being paid to the billionaires and corporations. The return rate on their bribing of politicians is astronomical. For a few hundred thousand invested in bribing politicians, they can earn billions of dollars.
The US regime has become a transfer machine -- transferring tax money from American citizens to wealthy corporations. American citizens work and pay about a third of their incomes to the corporations and individuals who have bribed government officials.
It is not likely that this game can be ended or reformed. It would take a tax revolt by American citizens and that is just not likely because there are legitimate things the US government does. They would be shut down first.
This is actually pretty normal in the course of governments. They start out OK and are run by idealists and statesmen. In the end they are just corrupt wealth transfer machines run by the slimiest of criminals, people like Paul Ryan or John McCain. We happen to be living at the end stages of the American regime. I'm personally looking beyond Washington to new political formations. The whole Washington regime has run its course. Now is the time to flush it.
Short of a General Strike, which will never happen, we ordinary people have no means of forcing the ORCS (Oligarchic Ruling Class Sociopaths) out of power.
These thugs in black robes do not believe in true democracy.
If the so called "our representatives " sell themselves to these illegitimate impostors, rather than us whom they represent, our "democracy" is gone, while replaced by an Oligarchy rendering both the laws adopted and all other governmental activities null and void!!!
And I am sorry to say, whether or not, the Supreme Court realizes it, their dastardly, or perhaps a well intended decision in favor of the rich, has allowed a silent coupe d'etat. Shame, Shame, Shame on all of them!!!
Libertarians be crazy!
Libertarians believe in NO government - or, as rand paul says - so small i can barely see it
next time the economy collapses, like 1929 or 2008, nobody does anything! tens of millions out of work, millions losing homes - no problem! the unseen hand of capitalism will spiral us back to the stone age! - NO government! good riddance!
Libertarians be crazy!
even zomblicans, who lie and say they want small government, hate rand paul!
Libertarians be crazy!
Libertarians be crazy!