Why Rand Paul Is Good for America?
I, as a left-leaning, registered Democrat and self-styled Progressive, want to begin by saying I'm not a big fan of government. It's often inefficient, it has a lot of waste, and it can easily be bought and influenced by large corporations and people who have lots of cash. (I might add, this is only going to get worse after the activist conservatives on the Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that there can be no limits on how much a corporation can give to a campaign contribution [1].) I would love to be a libertarian, but the fact remains that this political position not only does not work, it proves to be poison for a society.
Government may not be a great option, but it is clearly the best option we have.
The current Teabagger movement, at least ostensibly, has claimed to be a strong reaction to what its followers see as an unbridled expansion of government. (Of course, we all know the latent causes are deeper, such as a lot of racists having trouble dealing with a black man leading the nation, but that's beside the point [2].) Though their numbers have been exaggerated and over-covered by the mainstream media [3], they still command a significant portion of the voting population.
Now that their darling Rand Paul has been chosen to run for Senate in Kentucky and has been exposed for his purely ideological views [4], the Teabagger movement finds itself at a crossroads. Do they distance themselves from a candidate who opposes such wildly popular legislation as the Civil Right Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, or do they continue to embrace a position that when pursued to the nth degree would say that the government has no right to force a private business owner to serve a minority?
I don't think Mr. Paul is himself racist, but I don't think he's going to lose many supporters in Kentucky from taking this position. Let's face it, those who still cling to the outdated notions of racial separation are not exactly going to pull the level for the Democrat. And it's not like one sees a lot of racial diversity at a Teabagger rally; they're whiter than the Winter Olympics. In short, he will easily win the race in Kentucky.
But nationwide, his standing is plummeting, and since he is the current embodiment of the Teabaggers, so is their perception. In obstinately clinging to an ideologically pure stance that forms all his political stances, Paul is not just decrying the "horrific government intrusion" that brought about desegregated lunch counters and wheelchair access to the disabled, but he's exposing to those who aren't exactly feeling rosy towards government at the moment the positive things that it can do.
Face it, folks, we have benefited from government. And admit it, there are some problems that are simply too large to allow the public sector and the behavior of the average citizen to rectify.
Rand's father Ron is still looked upon favorably by many liberals because of his opposition to the War in Iraq. However, he is not a friend across the aisle. When Wall Street and overwhelming greed brought this nation to the brink of economic collapse, what was Daddy Paul's response? More deregulation. Yes, after Clinton and then Bush removing every restriction possible on the money-grubbing fatcats, allowing them to speculate with our money, drive the economy into the toilet, and then be bailed out with (oh my) even more of our money, Senator Paul thinks it would be a good idea to give them more freedom.
No, the collapse of the market was brought about by lack of government [5]. And while this is a long, slow economic recovery, we are gradually getting better [6]. Why? Because government stepped in.
Abolition was too big of a problem to solve without government, as was the Great Depression, as was segregation and equal rights, as was getting fair accommodation for the handicapped, as was fixing the economic situation of our own time. All of these things would have to be opposed by the Pauls because of their deep-seated belief that government should stay out of our lives.
Therefore, Rand Paul and his current exposure are good for America. If elected, his stances will obviously not be, but his purity of idea shows just how much we rely on a government, and that our current system is not the Orwellian Big Brother that Lush Rimjob and Lonesome Rhodes Beck would have us believe. The Teabaggers were already close to stalling, despite the fact that every media outlet from Faux to MSNBC has given them far more coverage than they deserved. Paul may cause it to come to a grinding halt.
Moderates and independents who may have found themselves seduced by this position will back away now.
As for the hardline Teabaggers, I doubt they'll budge. After all, Faux News will only continue to paint Rand Paul as a martyr to the mythical "liberal media" [7], and our president will always be black.
Government may not be a great option, but it is clearly the best option we have.
The current Teabagger movement, at least ostensibly, has claimed to be a strong reaction to what its followers see as an unbridled expansion of government. (Of course, we all know the latent causes are deeper, such as a lot of racists having trouble dealing with a black man leading the nation, but that's beside the point [2].) Though their numbers have been exaggerated and over-covered by the mainstream media [3], they still command a significant portion of the voting population.
Now that their darling Rand Paul has been chosen to run for Senate in Kentucky and has been exposed for his purely ideological views [4], the Teabagger movement finds itself at a crossroads. Do they distance themselves from a candidate who opposes such wildly popular legislation as the Civil Right Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, or do they continue to embrace a position that when pursued to the nth degree would say that the government has no right to force a private business owner to serve a minority?
I don't think Mr. Paul is himself racist, but I don't think he's going to lose many supporters in Kentucky from taking this position. Let's face it, those who still cling to the outdated notions of racial separation are not exactly going to pull the level for the Democrat. And it's not like one sees a lot of racial diversity at a Teabagger rally; they're whiter than the Winter Olympics. In short, he will easily win the race in Kentucky.
But nationwide, his standing is plummeting, and since he is the current embodiment of the Teabaggers, so is their perception. In obstinately clinging to an ideologically pure stance that forms all his political stances, Paul is not just decrying the "horrific government intrusion" that brought about desegregated lunch counters and wheelchair access to the disabled, but he's exposing to those who aren't exactly feeling rosy towards government at the moment the positive things that it can do.
Face it, folks, we have benefited from government. And admit it, there are some problems that are simply too large to allow the public sector and the behavior of the average citizen to rectify.
Rand's father Ron is still looked upon favorably by many liberals because of his opposition to the War in Iraq. However, he is not a friend across the aisle. When Wall Street and overwhelming greed brought this nation to the brink of economic collapse, what was Daddy Paul's response? More deregulation. Yes, after Clinton and then Bush removing every restriction possible on the money-grubbing fatcats, allowing them to speculate with our money, drive the economy into the toilet, and then be bailed out with (oh my) even more of our money, Senator Paul thinks it would be a good idea to give them more freedom.
No, the collapse of the market was brought about by lack of government [5]. And while this is a long, slow economic recovery, we are gradually getting better [6]. Why? Because government stepped in.
Abolition was too big of a problem to solve without government, as was the Great Depression, as was segregation and equal rights, as was getting fair accommodation for the handicapped, as was fixing the economic situation of our own time. All of these things would have to be opposed by the Pauls because of their deep-seated belief that government should stay out of our lives.
Therefore, Rand Paul and his current exposure are good for America. If elected, his stances will obviously not be, but his purity of idea shows just how much we rely on a government, and that our current system is not the Orwellian Big Brother that Lush Rimjob and Lonesome Rhodes Beck would have us believe. The Teabaggers were already close to stalling, despite the fact that every media outlet from Faux to MSNBC has given them far more coverage than they deserved. Paul may cause it to come to a grinding halt.
Moderates and independents who may have found themselves seduced by this position will back away now.
As for the hardline Teabaggers, I doubt they'll budge. After all, Faux News will only continue to paint Rand Paul as a martyr to the mythical "liberal media" [7], and our president will always be black.