A Statesman Retires

[CuteOldGuy]

Thank you for your integrity, courage and character. America will miss you. God Bless you as you retire.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) will only serve the US Congress for a few more weeks, but victories for the congressman’s allies this Election Day suggest the libertarian lawmaker’s revolution might not end just yet.

A White House victory for the former Republican Party candidate was never considered likely by the mainstream media, but Rep. Paul focused his efforts throughout the election season on a bid for the Oval Office that inevitably came to an end this week.

Earlier in the year, Rep. Paul said he wouldn’t be pursuing another term on the Hill, essentially meaning the long-time congressman would put his career in Washington behind him once his current role expires. Even with Capitol Hill soon to be in his past, though, the ideals Rep. Paul touted will likely be heard in the House of Representatives next session nonetheless thanks to a slew of wins this week for like-minded politicians.

President Barack Obama wasn’t the only incumbent who lucked out this week: 32-year-old Rep. Justin Amash, a freshman lawmaker from Michigan, was re-elected to Congress for a second term following a well-received stint that drew several comparisons to Rep. Paul during the last two years. Rep. Amash was among Paul’s biggest backers on the campaign trail during his ill-fated bid for the White House, and regularly went public with ideas that were voiced by few others in Washington, including opposition to both the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Federal Reserve. According to the District of Columbia Republican Committee, Rep. Amash is among the top 35 most influential members of the GOP under the age of 35.

"We are going back to D.C. and it looks like we are going to have a very similar makeup to what we have now,"Amash told the Detroit Free Press early Wednesday. "We've got to work together to deal with our most pressing issue: the debt."

Speaking earlier this year to a crowd at the University of Florida, Rep. Amash said that his colleague’s actions in Congress were instrumental for the future of advancing personal liberty. “This movement is Ron Paul’s legacy,” he said, adding, “Now it is our duty to grow it into the majority it can be.”

Thomas Massie, another disciple of Rep. Paul, took nearly two-thirds of the vote in a face for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, thanks largely to support from the congressman’s son and fellow Republican, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Additionally, Massie — a scientist with a background at MIT — received backing from the Liberty For All SuperPAC, a political action committee formed with the goal of electing candidates “who understand that limited government is the basis of security, prosperity and peace.” The Federal Election Commission reveals that Massie managed to raise nearly 10 times as much as his opponent this race, Democrat attorney Bill Adkins.

Kerry Bentivolio, a retired high school teacher campaigning for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District race, also won on Tuesday. Like Massie and Amash, the Liberty For All SuperPAC offered their support to his campaign as well.

Congressman Walter Jones, an incumbent up for re-election in North Carolina's 3rd District, was also victorious this week. As with Rep. Paul, Rep. Jones was adamant about halting the quick-paced erosion of American’s civil liberties and ending foreign wars. Jones has served his state since 1995.

Even after losing the GOP nomination to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Rep. Paul resisted endorsing the Republican Party pick, nor did he support Pres. Obama’s bid for re-election. Speaking to CNN earlier on Tuesday, Paul said, "I don't think there's enough difference between the two candidates, and I assume the victor today will be the status quo.”

"We're going to continue with basically the same policies that we've had for a long time, so I don't see the election, as the way it's turning out, to be very crucial at all."

As far as the Executive Branch is concerned, Rep. Paul may very well be right. Given the success his allies in Congress are seeing though, at least the legislative branch might make some strides for liberty during the next few years.

http://www.freedominfonetwork.org/pr...es-in-congress

[Yssup Rider]

Unfortunately, the Texas congressional delegation is worse for that Looney Tunes departure. He Was a figurehead among Texas right wingers. but a douchebag who should have been retired years ago.

Please understand that Ron Paul's district is by and large occupied by chemical plants and most of the people who elected him for so many years are brain damaged...

As Gov. Goodhair says: adios mofo!

[LordBeaverbrook]

Goodbye wackadoodle economics! Less debt/deficit terrorism and gold standard lunacy will be a welcome breath of fresh air. Though he does support one or two decent ideas like non-intervention and some degree of marijuana and drug legalization or ballot access, he is slavishly corporatist (for the chemical companies in his district who support him. in his support of laissez-faire ecenomics and privatization of pretty much everything. He's strongly libertarian except where he can hypocritically allow government to impose his religious beliefs. Lastly, his disavowal of racist views published in his newsletters and took "moral" responsibility for those repugnant views, but said he didn't know who wrote the newsletters that brought in $1Million a year for him. Bye, bye Ron. No thanks for giving us your double wackadoodle son.

[Yssup Rider]

Unfortunately we've now got Ted Cruz to be an embarrassment to all right thinking Texans... god I wish they'd all go to Oklahoma!

[theaustinescorts]

I don't give a shit how wacky his ideas about economics were, he was a singular voice for the dangers of statist government worship which has characterized the right.

The right in this country claims it doesn't believe in big government, unless of course you're talking about the big police state, the big military, the big court system, the big prison system, the big all-seeing information grid, etc....

The right in this country never saw a police or military power or action they didn't love, and Ron Paul was an exception to that.

Paul was the only person who kept faith with the true conservatism of the founders, who dispised the military, foreign intriques and imperial conquests, and the powers of the state to rule over the citizenry in the name of false security.

[LordBeaverbrook]

Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

I don't give a shit how wacky his ideas about economics were, he was a singular voice for the dangers of statist government worship which has characterized the right.

Well, you are probably dead on there, but you should probably also give a damn about the wackadoodle economics shit too. I did agree with him on more transparency for the Fed and audits were not a bad idea, though his motive was to audit the Fed and get it eliminated through shock at what was turned up in the audit. I'm not crazy about the Fed, but I'd be loath to elminate it until I knew what could ensure low inflation and broad employment better via monetary policy. Thanks for the thought.

[JD Barleycorn]

Would I be remiss for not celebrating the career of Joe Lieberman. He was an honest liberal which is rare. He was a man of principal who left his party when it left him. The people of CT agreed and reelected him as an independent.

[SEE3772]

Originally Posted by austxjr

Goodbye wackadoodle economics! Less debt/deficit terrorism and gold standard lunacy will be a welcome breath of fresh air. Though he does support one or two decent ideas like non-intervention and some degree of marijuana and drug legalization or ballot access, he is slavishly corporatist (for the chemical companies in his district who support him. in his support of laissez-faire ecenomics and privatization of pretty much everything. He's strongly libertarian except where he can hypocritically allow government to impose his religious beliefs. Lastly, his disavowal of racist views published in his newsletters and took "moral" responsibility for those repugnant views, but said he didn't know who wrote the newsletters that brought in $1Million a year for him. Bye, bye Ron. No thanks for giving us your double wackadoodle son.

The Golden Constant: The English and American Experience 1560-2007

[Guest123018-4]

Ron Paul was the only candidate on the Republican side that would state the facts, understood what was wrong with our government and had a plan to fix it.

[icuminpeace]

Ron Paul was the only politician that had the courage to speak up on what's about to come.

[i'va biggen]

Originally Posted by JD Barleycorn

Would I be remiss for not celebrating the career of Joe Lieberman. He was an honest liberal which is rare. He was a man of principal who left his party when it left him. The people of CT agreed and reelected him as an independent.

He didn't leave he was defeated,but hated to loose his job so went independent.If he had left first I would agree with you.