Ron Paul's Net Contribution To Liberty

[Lightfiend]

Ron Paul is probably the most well known living libertarian in the world right now (who’s actually a libertarian). But has his total contribution been a positive sum gain for the advancement of liberty?

Ron Paul's Net Contribution To Liberty (http://www.libertarianminds.com/ron-pauls-net-contribution-to-liberty), by Chris George.

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

+1 for someone thinking.
+2 for someone having the stomach to subject oneself to criticism of people who believe electoral politics is the messiah of liberty.

[eOs]

hmm id say its over 9000

[Vessol]

Excellent article and it matches my thoughts as well.

To me, Ron Paul is great not for what he 'plans to do', but what he already has done just by running. I've always thought that the underlining cause for running, or at least the most positive result, is that of education. Libertarianism has been born anew, at least IMO. Minimalistic government is slowly becoming a very popular idea. Ron Paul has helped with this greatly.

However, we can and should not hold him to be some amazing central figurehead of our movement whom will change everything. That's why I really like the Campaign for Liberty's idea and supporting many liberty candidates as well as education.

[Old Ducker]

I don't consider a 2009 college graduate qualified to judge Ron Paul's decades long commitment to liberty.

[nayjevin]

Ron Paul's Net Contribution to Liberty

OOH! Do Ghandi next!


+1 for someone thinking.
+2 for someone having the stomach to subject oneself to criticism of people who believe electoral politics is the messiah of liberty.

This criticism is of Ron, entertaining the ludicrous notion that it is possible his life has been a net negative.

Criticism of those who believe electoral politics is the messiah of liberty should be left for people who believe that.

Thinking Ron is dangerous because people might look to him as the solution instead of a reliable brand suffers the same fallacies as a preventative law.


hmm id say its over 9000

Hehh, it's like an objective theory of liberty value.

[Lightfiend]

I don't consider a 2009 college graduate qualified to judge Ron Paul's decades long commitment to liberty.

Criticize the actual content if you must, but don't resort to ad hominem attacks.

I actually disagree with a lot of what Chris George argues but I thought his comments were interesting enough to share with others. You can read my response here:


At the very least we can say it was of net benefit for Ron Paul. He continues to dedicate so much time, work, and effort to the cause so there must be something he is getting out of it, right?

I believe that (much like the “invisible hand” of the free market) Ron Paul has benefited many (including both of us) by following his own self-interests. Politicians are not the only ones who do this.

I do agree that politics has a general tendency to be fraudulent (I think your argument for this at New Kind of Mind is spot on).

However, Ron Paul feels very much like an exception to the rule. He has remained principled, sometimes for the better but often for the worse. I really do believe he has put an importance of ideas above political gain. His district knows what they are getting everytime they vote for him, and Paul is never hesitant to speak ill about anything from the Federal Reserve to the Department of Education. This is why the mainstream media continues to see him as “on the fringe.”