Congressman Paul’s Legislative Strategy? He’d Rather Say Not.
Republican Ron Paul missed out on the 19th century, but he admires it from afar. He speaks lovingly of the good old days before things like Social Security and Medicaid existed, before the federal government outlawed drugs like heroin. In his legislative fantasies, the amiable Texas congressman would do away with the CIA and the Federal Reserve. He’d reinstate the gold standard. He’d get rid of the Department of Education and leave the business of schooling to local governments, because he believes that’s what the Constitution intended.
Few politicians personify the compassion-starved reputation of the Republican Party more than Surfside’s Ron Paul. To describe Paul as “out there” wouldn’t begin to do justice to a Republican so “out there” that even the Party leaders who value marching in ideological lockstep don’t bother trying to rein him in.
Before I moved to Texas, I remember hearing stories about Ron Paul, which I found difficult to believe. What I later discovered is that it’s truly difficult to overerstate the eccentricity that characterizes Ron Paul’s political philosophy, which can really only be summarized in one word- “NO!” Texas’ CD14 has for a Congressman a politician that fits no mold and is quite possibly crazier than a march hare.
Paul’s inflexible positions are more remiscent of a Libertarian, which in fact he for a time was. In 1988, he left the Republican Party and ran for President as a Libertarian. We should all be thanking our lucky stars that Ron Paul was not elected President…though the White House would have certainly been a much more entertaining place. That Ron Paul calls himself a Republican is something of a misnomer, but running for Congress as a Libertarian is a one-way ticket to obscurity.
Clueless, out of touch, and willfully ignorant of anything that doesn’t fit his narrow philosophy, Ron Paul is more caricature than Congressman. Of course, being a Lone Ranger renders him virtually harmless, and he is good for a few laughs now and again…but you’d think the people in CD14 would have enough common sense to elect someone who could effectivly represent them. Apparently not….
Paul, 70, has earned the nickname Dr. No for his habit of voting against just about anything that he sees as government overreach or that interferes with the free market. No to the Iraq war. No to a federal ban on same-sex marriage. No to a congressional gold medal for Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan and Rosa Parks. He says the medals are an unconstitutional use of taxpayer money and once suggested each House member instead contribute 100 bucks from his or her own pocket.
Last year, Congress decided to send billions of dollars to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Guess how Ron Paul voted.
“Is bailing out people that chose to live on the coastline a proper function of the federal government?” he asks. “Why do people in Arizona have to be robbed in order to support the people on the coast?”
Uh…unless I’m missing something here, aren’t we all Americans, regardless of where we happen to live? And shouldn’t we be willing to assist those Americans in need of a helping hand? Why must it be viewed as “penalizing” anyone to provide a helping hand to fellow Americans suffering from an adverse set of circumstances? Helping those in need is hardly “penalizing” those asked to help.
I find Paul’s line of reasoning somewhat suspect and majorly hypocritical, given that he hails from Surfside…on the Texas Gulf Coast. You’d think that someone who has chosen to live in a coastal community would be a bit more sympathetic to the plight of those in another coastal community.
Paul is not always alone in his dissent, but more than anyone else in Congress, he is legendary for it. “When I’m the only no vote,” says fiscal conservative Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), “I can usually rest assured he’s on a plane somewhere.”
Unfortunately, Paul makes former Sen. Jesse Helms from North Carolina (“Senator No”) look like Chuckles the Clown. Silly me; I’d always that the job of an elected public servant was to…well, serve the public…not his own narrow, compasion-starved prejudices. What’s even more amazing is that Paul keeps getting re-elected…which only proves the theory that you get exactly the quality of representation you deserve. Apparently, the people in Paul’s district deserve an absolute loon, ’ cuz that’s exaclty what they’ve got.
Still glad you voted Republican??
