It's Not Just Wishful Thinking

by Rick Fisk
by Rick Fisk

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Ron Paul can win. Dr. Paul's latest accomplishments have created a great deal of buzz amongst the old media talking heads (let's stop calling them "mainstream" OK?) Most of those who have been predicting that Ron Paul is a long shot or is merely a curiosity are now forced to re-assess their remarks; those who are honest anyway. The rest continue to repeat the same derisive comments because they haven't yet figured out how they're going to derail the Revolution.

Ron Paul's supporters, my favorite name for them so far is "Paulunteers," have decided that he's going to be their next President.

There are several reasons why Ron Paul's campaign is historic and none of them have to do with Ron Paul's "genius" in utilizing the Internet. The old media would like us to believe that Ron Paul's campaign is just a repeat of the Howard Dean campaign. However, there is only one parallel, grass roots support, but all comparisons end there. What most of the derisive pundits overlook is the campaign's message. The fact that they do not truly understand what Dr. Paul is advocating, speaks volumes about entrenched old media personnel.

Like government bureaucrats who spend most of their lives witnessing tragedy, their view of the world is distorted. Members of the old media have spent at least 40 years attempting to amplify the worst in our society, pretending it is the norm. It isn't surprising that this advocacy would turn practitioners into believers. The old media is used to politics as strictly an advertising campaign. Typically, the public is manipulated by psychological propaganda issued by campaigners. To the media and many scientific observers, this manipulative process always works. From the time that the first soap advertisements were produced, people have studied and improved upon propaganda techniques. However, humans are unpredictable. Most studies assume that because a particular experiment showed humans to be easily manipulated, they will always be subject to manipulation and thus merely focus on the effectiveness of different techniques.

The possibility that humans could change their behaviors and beliefs is not seriously considered. Take a look at polling for example. In spite of the knowledge that technology and its use has been changing, every major polling organization still clings to old methods. They have not adapted to new technologies whereas the population is doing so. The old adage – "if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes truth" – is assumed to be true forever. What if it isn't? What if Goebbels was wrong? Or, what if what Goebbels said was true but there is a more powerful antithesis?

To one who knows the truth, the repetition of lies cannot shake his belief in those truths.

Alan Stang wrote of Ron Paul recently:

Then, suddenly, without warning, there was an Incredible Hulk transformation. Godzilla was onstage, biting off heads, tearing off limbs and chewing on the bones. Who was he? Where had he come from? Who let him in? The reptilian media scumbags couldn’t very well drag him off the dais. The cameras were live. They had to sit there and listen while Dr. Ron assured them that his first official act as President would be to dismantle IRS.

And across the country, from the west bank of the Hudson to the California line, a roar erupted, as millions of astounded Americans who pay the taxes, fight the wars and go to work (unless their jobs have been deported), realized that Dr. Ron was saying in plain English what they believe in private. Most of the other candidates spoke boilerplate. They saw they were not alone and not crazy. "Imagine! A candidate for President who thinks like me."

The self-evident nature of certain truths is a problem for the old media and central planners. When the founders stated that some truths were self-evident, they were acknowledging that truth didn't require a certain level of education or rational thinking to be understood. We know them in our bones and they do not necessarily require articulation. I personally believe that these truths are so obvious that social planners have for over a century, done everything they can to prevent them from being considered. A great number of "isms" have been introduced into our lexicon and taught in public schools and universities; most of which seek to rationalize and advocate central planning.

But because they are stuck in the same cycle, they don't recognize what is actually happening. Why is Ron Paul so successful in spite of the fact that his campaign hasn't employed "time tested" methods?

• Message/Delivery
  This is number one on the list though what follows may not necessarily be in order. Ron Paul's message isn't original, but it is powerful and highlights the self-evident truths that drive every human action and interaction. Most importantly, this message is not antagonistic. To central planners it is offensive, but to everyday people, it is purely positive. Ron Paul's strength is in the way he delivers the message – not as a charismatic speaker but as a Patriot whose actions are hard to fault. He's the opposite of a cult leader because he does not demand anyone follow him. Quite the opposite is true. His statements have been in deference to his supporters. They are the ones leading the Revolution and he is merely the public representative of this movement.

• Home Schooling
  For the past 25 years, a significant number of parents have rejected government schools. Not only can we count a large number of the children (some 1 million per year) as better educated, their parents count amongst those who, in spite of a public education, have rejected central planning. While it is hard to gather statistics in this regard the number could be up to 30 million who have completed their studies or are in the process of doing so.

• Government Intervention – "blowback"
  Over the past 40 years the government at all levels has become increasingly belligerent towards us. The increasing level of central planning is producing the unintended consequence of a population seeking ways to circumvent central planning. This is a feature of any market system as it is fundamentally part of all nature (not just humans) to seek freedom.

• Distillation of the Message
  The Internet is a key here but only as a tool. The use of YouTube and various social networking sites have compressed Ron Paul's public appearances and allowed people to see what he has to say without the old media's vapid commentary. The "permanence" of availability is also important. Prior to the internet, one had to tune in or wait for a re-run to air. Now, we have an on-demand source of information and no one to dole it out in acceptable doses.

• Action
  This applies to both Ron Paul and his supporters. Actions speak far louder than words. As with Ron Paul's life-long devotion to spreading the message of freedom, his supporters, encouraged by Dr. Paul's sincerity, proven by his actions, are taking action themselves. This action is far more powerful than the old media's methods of simply broadcasting platitudes and slogans.

• The Remnant
  Counted amongst the remnant must be Lew Rockwell and the Von Mises Institute, Ludwig Von Mises, Ron Paul, Harry Browne, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Murray Rothbard, Alan Stang, a gaggle of Patriot Movement writers and protesters and to some degree Ayn Rand and her Objectivist followers – all who have provided a source of enlightenment and an antidote to central planning themes. We also must include the relatively small group (as compared to all of organized Christianity) who actually follow Jesus' teachings and of course Jesus himself whom I list last but certainly not least. Their reach was, and is, far greater than imagined.

• Convergence/Timing
  The blowback listed above has created a myriad of political insurgencies. Every Federal agency has organized detractors now. From the BATF, to the Department of Education, there are advocacy groups which oppose the policies of these agencies. Though these groups will not always agree with one another, we are at a very unique point in our history where members of these groups are coming together while laying aside any differences they may have. Ron Paul’s candidacy has facilitated this.

To use an old cliché, the stars are aligning perfectly for Ron Paul and against his opponents. The results have been nothing less than spectacular. This isn't to say that a Ron Paul victory is a foregone conclusion. Quite the contrary, we have no idea what the establishment is going to do next. However, we do know, like the Federal Reserve which has one weapon in its arsenal, inflation; the government also has only one weapon, force. Its fraudulent use of force is the cause for Paulunteer's sense of urgency. More of the same will only speed up the process.

However, it's not just wishful thinking as detractors keep saying. There is a very real possibility that we can lead Ron Paul right into the White House over the objections of his detractors.

October 8, 2007

Rick Fisk [send him mail] is a 44-year-old software developer and entrepreneur. He is married, has 3 children and resides in Austin, TX.

Copyright © 2007 LewRockwell.com

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