I understand the allure, but I'm really tired of Ron Paul.
Within the artificial constraints of his argument, Sullivan makes several compelling points. However, we should note that he begins by saying "I do not support many of his nuttier policy proposals." Unfortunately, once you strip Paul of those points there is very little left.
Ron Paul is an economic incompetent. There, I said it. If there is such a thing as a "modest, humble libertarianism" Ron Paul is not the representative of it, and he would tear apart our government's ability for economic action with a Jeffersonian fervor.
His foreign policy is not to withdraw where we aren't needed, as in Europe; it is basically to stick our heads in the sand and pretend other countries simply don't exist. Once again, we have a Jeffersonian mindset, and while our military spending needs to be hacked away, Paul's philosophy is so incompatible with a solid grounding in foreign relations that I can't believe he wants anything other than a re-institutionalizing of the militia-farmers.
And while he focuses seemingly only on domestic issues, he has no real answers for many of them. For instance, while advocating against government intervention in health care with his usual zeal, he was completely unable to answer the question of whether an uninsured man, hit by a car, should be brought to a hospital [as he is now] or left to bleed and die by the side of the road. These are not minor issues.
The best analogy I've heard for Ron Paul is that of a broken clock. He sounds wonderful twice a day, where his "consistent" [I would say stubbornly intractable] views coincide with a real need. But far too much of the time he either has no way to answer a question on our country's future or posits an answer that makes little to no sense.
With all that in mind, it breaks my heart that I also still find him the most desirable republican on the field. The primaries have really been a freak show this year.
I forgot that Ron Paul actually did have an answer to the uninsured man scenario. The churches will take care of it.
If that isn't a punchline I don't know what is. Ron Paul; the only candidate who believes constitutional literalism isn't enough: we need to go pre-constitutional.
I understand the allure, but I'm really tired of Ron Paul.
ReplyDeleteWithin the artificial constraints of his argument, Sullivan makes several compelling points. However, we should note that he begins by saying "I do not support many of his nuttier policy proposals." Unfortunately, once you strip Paul of those points there is very little left.
Ron Paul is an economic incompetent. There, I said it. If there is such a thing as a "modest, humble libertarianism" Ron Paul is not the representative of it, and he would tear apart our government's ability for economic action with a Jeffersonian fervor.
His foreign policy is not to withdraw where we aren't needed, as in Europe; it is basically to stick our heads in the sand and pretend other countries simply don't exist. Once again, we have a Jeffersonian mindset, and while our military spending needs to be hacked away, Paul's philosophy is so incompatible with a solid grounding in foreign relations that I can't believe he wants anything other than a re-institutionalizing of the militia-farmers.
And while he focuses seemingly only on domestic issues, he has no real answers for many of them. For instance, while advocating against government intervention in health care with his usual zeal, he was completely unable to answer the question of whether an uninsured man, hit by a car, should be brought to a hospital [as he is now] or left to bleed and die by the side of the road. These are not minor issues.
The best analogy I've heard for Ron Paul is that of a broken clock. He sounds wonderful twice a day, where his "consistent" [I would say stubbornly intractable] views coincide with a real need. But far too much of the time he either has no way to answer a question on our country's future or posits an answer that makes little to no sense.
With all that in mind, it breaks my heart that I also still find him the most desirable republican on the field. The primaries have really been a freak show this year.
Addendum:
ReplyDeleteI forgot that Ron Paul actually did have an answer to the uninsured man scenario.
The churches will take care of it.
If that isn't a punchline I don't know what is. Ron Paul; the only candidate who believes constitutional literalism isn't enough: we need to go pre-constitutional.
If you write it, he will come.
ReplyDelete