By Ben White–

Those who regularly watch the “Daily Show” will already know that Ron Paul has had a hard time with the media and the GOP throughout his presidential bid. Whether or not there has been a “blackout” as some will claim, it seems the congressman’s message is not that well known—even now, after three state contests for the nomination. Why is he considered “dangerous” by the Republican establishment? Why are young voters, minorities and intellectuals so enamored with his policies? Here is a quick catch-up on his platform.

1. End the federal war on drugs.
2. End the unlawful wars in the Middle East.
3. Stop all foreign aid until we have a balanced budget.
4. Open ourselves to free trade with countries like Cuba.
5. Cut wasteful government bureaucracies and reduce federal employment through attrition.
6. Get rid of No Child Left Behind (and the Department of Education for that matter).
7. Give citizens 25 and under the option to opt out of Social Security.
8. Reduce the military budget and bring the troops home.
9. End all corporate welfare.
10. Address our overly complicated tax code.
11. Auction off Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
12. Audit the Federal Reserve.

This list is not comprehensive, but it gives a general idea as to what priorities he would have as POTUS. His is an attitude that generally disapproves in the government interfering in the lives of its citizens. He has stated several times that he does not wish to be a king or dictator, but to remove some of the dangerous powers that the executive branch has grabbed throughout the last few presidencies. He is against the Patriot Act and the NDAA, often quoting Benjamin Franklin, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” He believes in the idea of blowback—a term used by the CIA, referring to the idea that our policies overseas cause some negative reactions and have consequences. This is why the GOP establishment fears him; he plans to defund and effectively end the military industrial complex. The rank-and-file Republican has no interest in this, but they have been taught to fear for their life because of this war on terror.

This is why Ron Paul has hit a temporary glass ceiling during these primaries. His message is taking a while to reach those voters that have not yet switched over to him, but if the party wishes to survive much longer, they will need to act quickly. Several arguments have already been won in our country: we do not like war, we want personal freedom, the rich do not need any more help and we want the government out of our daily lives as much as possible. The vast majority of Americans want to leave the big government spending, bureaucracy, militarism and oppression of the Bush administration behind. Yet that is all that we see in the current GOP lineup of nominees. Mitt Romney has stated he wants a far larger military, more oversights and bureaucracy, and the power to detain citizens indefinitely. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum want to make war with Iran post haste. Rick Santorum has stated that contraceptives should be illegal because they make sex carefree and fun. All three stand for big government reaching into the lives of its citizens.

The main thing Obama and Paul agree on is that most social and political issues are personal and should be taken care of on an individual basis or at most, at the local level. Our personal lives, habits and choices should not be under the scrutiny of the government. After this, the two begin to differ. Ron Paul believes that the federal war on drugs is wasteful, ineffective and racist and should be ended. He has personally advocated legalizing the growth and consumption of marijuana, not because he uses it, but because he recognizes it as a non-violent act of human preference. As a libertarian-leaning individual, he believes in the non-aggression axiom, which states that it should be legal for free individuals to express themselves and engage themselves however they wish, provided only that they do not initiate or threaten violence against the person or legitimately owned property of another. In this way, Ron Paul is against the “nanny state” that tries to enforce society’s norms on everyone. He sees people as individuals with their own free will instead of always classifying and dividing them. I see the future of political debate in our country being between people like Ron Paul and Barack Obama. We have no more need for unnecessary wars, fear mongering or bureaucracy. The argument is now between free markets and individualism on the one side and regulated markets and collectivism on the other. And if you have not guessed yet, as a free market economist, I happen to side with Ron Paul.

There are some who claim that Ron Paul cannot win the nomination. He may have some of the best ideas, but he is too far outside of the mainstream. That is just false. The only ones who cannot win are Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, both of whom were left off of the ballot in several key states, including Virginia. It would be next to impossible for either of them to collect the necessary delegates to win the convention in the first vote. Ron Paul on the other hand is on the ballot in every state, has many offices up and running, and has a strategy. His campaign has been training people to run for delegate, so in caucus states that do not award delegates proportionally, he stands to do very well, even if he doesn’t win the state. And in the event of a brokered convention, he stands an even better chance. In most primary states, delegates are fixed to a certain candidate. That means they have to vote for that candidate in the convention on the first ballot. After that, they are free to vote however they wish. Many Ron Paul supporters are running to be delegates in these states, which could lead to some interesting results, come the convention.

The race is still wide open, though, and Romney is still in a strong position to win the GOP nomination, but all the rhetoric claiming Dr. Paul cannot win is simply false. College campuses around the nation house youth movements advocating for the 76 year old Congressman. Here at U of L, I have recently started a Youth for Ron Paul chapter, where anyone can chip in and help get the word out about him. We also have a chapter of Students for Liberty headed by Preston Bates, which is focused on advancing the ideas of social and economic freedom. Whatever the outcome of this election, the future of political discourse within this nation has been decided, which is what Ron Paul wanted four years ago during his last bid for the presidency. This is a movement sweeping the nation, and it will no longer be different types of big government fighting over who gets the money. The game is being changed right now, whether or not the good doctor wins.

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Photo courtesy RunRonPaul.com