Ron Paul on the Daily Show
What a nice appearance. Jon Stewart was obviously a fan, and Paul didn’t come off as lecturing or Senatorial at all, just as a very nice, articulate man with some consistent and good ideas about the direction of the country.
I had the first meeting for Ron Paul in PA this evening, and it went very well. There was an interesting mix of people there. A lot of young people, a lot of chronic activists, a Constitution Party guy, a Marine, a teacher, a writer for LewRockwell.com, the secretary for the state LP, even a couple of 9-11 Truthers, and a lot, lot of Republicans who had looks on their faces coming in like they were lost in the dark, fumbling for a light switch. About half of the group self-identified as having voted for Bush in both 2000 and 2004, and being left feeling cheap, disposable. It wasn’t even anger so much as a profound sense of lostness.
But here’s what struck me, about that and the Daily Show appearance. There’s a deep well of anger and resentment in America today, and to an extent, certainly, Paul taps into that. But he doesn’t do it actively, and he never mines it. He acknowledges it’s there, but he maintains that his message is above it, and in that way, he’s above it to. And so are we.
We talked some before the meeting today about how much we wish Paul would just stick it to Rudy in the debates, just really nail him to the wall. But then we sat down and, when the organizing started, talked way past Dr. Paul. The meeting was all about not Paul himself, but how to spread Dr. Paul’s message. There was a real sense that we don’t have to shove the candidate down people’s throats, but that the message, if it gets out there, speaks for itself, and our job was to get it out there. Paul is, in some ways, almost a stand-in, for something much, much larger than any of us. And I think, as you could see in the Daily Show interview tonight, that he knows that. He’s happy enough to take the applause and the compliments, but at the end of the day it doesn’t go to his head. If I may speak for him a bit, he seems to just honestly consider himself a steward.
There’s something inspiring about that. Dr. Paul isn’t going to stick it to anybody. He’s too nice a guy, too reflexively polite and gentle. Just like in his appearance tonight; he’s no rabble rouser. He’s just a consistent, gentlemanly, imminently agreeable man bringing a message that he’s always tried to bring, that great Americans since the founding of our country have tried to bring, only now, at this point in time, it strikes a positively revolutionary note.
When the Republican Bush voters left that same meeting, they seemed lost no more. That’s the power that Dr. Paul, but more importantly Dr. Paul’s message, brings. My guess is, they’ll never be lost again.
I absolutely agree about the Daily Show appearance. If only more than seven Republicans watched it. He does seem to be every Democrat’s favorite Republican, and I fear that hurts him.
Paul doesn’t have to be nasty to “stick it to Giuliani” in the debates. He has to point out that he’s well to the right of Giuliani on most of the issues that matter to Republicans–abortion, immigration, spending. He can be aggressive about that without being a dick. It’s just a matter of choosing ground on which he AGREES with the party rather than ground where he DISAGREES. He does need to make Giuliani his explicit target, though, in doing so. Politically speaking, that’s important. Republicans need to understand that Ron Paul can be tough when he’s attacked.
A small moment of the Daily Show appearance stood out for me as being particularly important. In reference to Stewart’s question regarding the abolition of Medicare, Paul took a tack that I’ve been begging Libertarians to take for years. Paraphrasing him: “Yes, I’d abolish it, but that’s nowhere near the top of my agenda. A lot of Americans have allowed themselves to become dependent upon government. There has to be a transition period if you’re going to make lasting changes, and Medicare isn’t the sort of place to start.” BULLSEYE.
Win or lose, this is a candidate I’ll never regret supporting. What a smart, realistic man he is, and a complete gentleman besides.
Comment by Rojas — 6/4/2007 @ 10:47 pm
Well, there were at least 4 registered Republicans watching in my house–my daughter had a friend over–so maybe your numbers are a little higher than 7. I agree with everything you guys have said. I was going to write a post on it, but think I’ll just forward to you.
Comment by Laura — 6/4/2007 @ 10:52 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz1ex0MaaQw
Comment by weltschmerz — 6/5/2007 @ 1:37 am
Thank ye. Every time I found a clip Viacom had it pulled. Bastids.
Comment by Brad — 6/5/2007 @ 6:16 am
The aforementioned Lew Rockwell writer blogs about the meeting too. His impressions are similar to mine.
One note: that Goldwater guy volunteered for Goldwater, then Eugene McCarthy, then George McGovern, then Fred Harris. He’s the Bob Shrum of campaign volunteers. :)
Comment by Brad — 6/5/2007 @ 10:50 am
Big bad Brad. Ten times badder than your bad dad.
Comment by weltschmerz — 6/5/2007 @ 11:03 am
And now, full circle.
The Rockwell-Pond mandala is complete.
Comment by Brad — 6/5/2007 @ 3:07 pm
Dr. Paul???
Sounds a little evangelical.
Comment by Vacuous — 6/5/2007 @ 3:34 pm
I lay odds on that Brad is now part of a cult.
Comment by Vacuous — 6/5/2007 @ 3:34 pm
I think MDs tend to use Dr. as their formal title in lieu of other things. It’s also shorter to type than Congressman Paul.
Comment by Brad — 6/5/2007 @ 4:26 pm