Ron Paul's Minnesota speech tonight
What a performance. For whatever reason, tonight CNN broadcast a Ron Paul speech to Minnesota supporters for almost 20 minutes uninterrupted. It was from about 6:50pm to 7:10pm and I guess CNN was just buying time before their promised Casino state election coverage.
We hear President Obama, of course in his position, giving his teleprompter speeches often, Mitt Romney gets lots of airtime as well now(yesterday's CNN coverage noted that the teleprompter screens had just been windexed as the stage was being set), and Newt Sociopath gets lots of airtime as well for his hyperbolic harangues. Ron Paul's airtime has mainly been through short responses at the debates.
This speech was a revelation. There were no telepromters. It was the best political speech that I have heard in years, maybe ever. That doesn't mean that I agreed with all of it, far from it. It was just the honesty of a politician whose ideas do not fit neatly into any cagetory.
Paul is libertarian on social issues. He is not a Republican type schizo-paranoid on gay rights or immigration issues. He is zealously anti-Patriot Act. Paul is a scorched earth Darwinian on economic issues and his ideas on monetary policy(none) and the social safety nets(minimal), if enacted immediately as he proposes, would create chaos at home and abroad. In an ideal world he may be right and that is why he is interesting on these issues, but has there ever been an ideal world?
What is fascinating is that his ideas on foreign policy, against the Iraq war, against the hopeless Afghanistan mission, for reopening normal relations with Cuba, all while maintaining a strong military to protect American interests, these sound more like George McGovern than George Bush.
Listening to him tonight was a revelation because he had a non-stop unscripted point of view that in a way that obviously made sense to him was all connected to his theme of personal liberty. My God, we have a politician that thinks, that passionately thinks, and has a committed point of view that will not change.
I can see why Paul has an ardent if relatively small following. I could not be part of that but his speech tonight was, for me, the most refreshing political event of this season. He could not be President.
We hear President Obama, of course in his position, giving his teleprompter speeches often, Mitt Romney gets lots of airtime as well now(yesterday's CNN coverage noted that the teleprompter screens had just been windexed as the stage was being set), and Newt Sociopath gets lots of airtime as well for his hyperbolic harangues. Ron Paul's airtime has mainly been through short responses at the debates.
This speech was a revelation. There were no telepromters. It was the best political speech that I have heard in years, maybe ever. That doesn't mean that I agreed with all of it, far from it. It was just the honesty of a politician whose ideas do not fit neatly into any cagetory.
Paul is libertarian on social issues. He is not a Republican type schizo-paranoid on gay rights or immigration issues. He is zealously anti-Patriot Act. Paul is a scorched earth Darwinian on economic issues and his ideas on monetary policy(none) and the social safety nets(minimal), if enacted immediately as he proposes, would create chaos at home and abroad. In an ideal world he may be right and that is why he is interesting on these issues, but has there ever been an ideal world?
What is fascinating is that his ideas on foreign policy, against the Iraq war, against the hopeless Afghanistan mission, for reopening normal relations with Cuba, all while maintaining a strong military to protect American interests, these sound more like George McGovern than George Bush.
Listening to him tonight was a revelation because he had a non-stop unscripted point of view that in a way that obviously made sense to him was all connected to his theme of personal liberty. My God, we have a politician that thinks, that passionately thinks, and has a committed point of view that will not change.
I can see why Paul has an ardent if relatively small following. I could not be part of that but his speech tonight was, for me, the most refreshing political event of this season. He could not be President.
posted by John Borden at 8:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home