Fandemonium: the cult of personality

I really should consider adding pictures and such to my blog to make it more pretty.  I’m not very artistic in that way, so apologies that it’s not so aesthetically pleasing.  Something I’ll have to work on eventually.  My wife always tells me that the things that excite me most are the things that put her to sleep — ie. politics, economics, Sci-Fi.  😉

I read somewhere on FB a comment made about how Ron Paul’s supporters are head-over-heels in blind love with him, much like Obama’s supporters were during the run up to the 2008 election.  Though I agree that there are some Ron Paul fans out there that fit this characterization, I don’t think the reasons for his recent rise in popularity has much similarity at all.

Look back on the kinds of people that voted for Obama.  I’d characterize them into 3 different broad groups though there was definitely some overlap:

1. African Americans / Minority voters pulling for the Minority candidate.  Some people of color, including many Asian Americans, voted for Obama simply because of the color of his skin — eg. non-white.  I was born in Korea.  My parents and I moved to the United States when I was 3 months old and we eventually became naturalized citizens.  Have I felt racism in my country?  Absolutely!  But I’m an American.  I’ve never let the heritage of my parents and grandparents define who I am.  And I don’t have anything in common with Korean nationals other than we’re all humans created in the image of God.
2. White voters that felt obliged to right some racial wrong in the past.  I have friends that voted for Jesse Jackson for the very same reason back in the 80’s.  Curious about these people because in their effort to prove they are non-racist, aren’t they basing their decision on race?
3. Disgruntled liberals as backlash against George W. Bush.  Pretty much would vote for anyone that was not a Republican.

These are hugely overgeneralized, but I’m sure if you think of anyone you knew that voted for Obama in 2008, they would fit at least one of these categories.

The biggest differential between Ron Paul and Obama in running for President is that Ron Paul has an established track record of consistently sticking to his values of small government, tight fiscal conservatism, and a non-interventionalist foreign policy.  Obama had NO record.  During his short Senate career prior to his Presidential run, he did NOTHING of consequence.  His resume consisted of him being a Community Activist.  Basically a puppet with a lot of promises.

Now look at Ron Paul’s base of support.  Like me, most of the new supporters of Paul are discovering him for the first time because of the values he preaches AND practices.  Americans are tired of policing the world.  We’re sick of out of control spending.  We want someone to do something to fix the HUGE social entitlement bill that’s going to bankrupt our economy rather than kick the can further down the road for our children.  We’ve had enough of Big Brother regulating everything from seat belts to marriage laws to what we can watch on television.  Organizations like the CATO Institute and the Mises Institute have been around for years preaching Liberty.  They aren’t swayed by a slick campaign logo and sound bites.

And I’ll say this much.  Eventually, something will come up that may shake some of the fandemonium around Ron Paul – especially if he receives the Republican Nomination.  Maybe something from his past or some video of him speaking when he doesn’t realize he’s on camera.  We’re all human.  But those that are supporting his message of liberty should stand by that dream.  Ron Paul will come and go long after November 2012.  But the hearts of men and women will yearn for freedom.  And that will never go away.

Advertisement