Though Texas congressman, Ron Paul’s presidential journey has
technically come to an end this election, Dr. Paul’s legacy lives on through
the spirit of thousands of supporters who have joined in on what is known as
the “Ron Paul Revolution.”
“He
is one of my heroes and he gives me hope that one
day we might actually see civil liberties restored in America,” says Jonathan
Dwyer of New York.
The single, most
important reason why Dwyer became interested in politics was because of Dr. Paul.
“I always thought politicians were corrupt to
some degree and didn’t represent the wants and needs of Americans; that they
only ran to gain power or something of that nature,” said Dwyer, who is
studying business management at State University of New York: Oneonta. “Ron
Paul showed me that there are people out there fighting and struggling to help
the people, to regain freedom, to restore the Constitution. He is a modern day
forefather. He believes Americans should have the right to do what they want,
when they want as long as they’re not hurting anyone.”
Mitt Romney may be the
official Republican nominee, but Ron Paul’s name certainly won’t be absent on
voter’s ballots in November.
Adrienne Wenner, a freelance photographer and
journalist from PA, says she will be writing in Paul’s name on the ballot in
November. “In short—-The president is supposed to adhere to the Constitution,
not their personal beliefs. I think if you believe in Ron Paul, then you should
be writing him in instead of choosing a mainstream candidate or not voting at
all,” she says.
Former marine from New Jersey, Andrew Parker,
also plans to write in Paul’s name.
“A small part of me says ‘vote for Gary
Johnson'—reason being he will be the next face of the Libertarian movement, I predict,”
he says. “And a SUPER tiny small part says ‘vote for Romney’—reason being I
feel he will spend a tad less than Obama. But in the end, I know I’m writing in
Ron Paul.”
Twenty-four-year-old Libertarian policy analyst
and activist, Julie Borowski, says she is okay with voters like
Wenner and Parker pledging to write in Paul’s name.
“I assume that most understand that a write in
candidate cannot possibly win,” Borowski said. “It is more to show a message
that we do not like the other choices on the ballot. I believe everyone should
vote with their conscience.”
Many fans, like Dwyer, have
only recently gained knowledge of Paul’s campaign for liberty though Paul has
been active in politics since 1971.
Paul, who formerly ran for
president as Libertarian in 1988, stayed true to his libertarian roots when he
ran for president as Republican in 2008, and this year, in 2012.
“I do
believe that it was a good thing for Ron Paul to run as a Republican,” Borowski
said. “He got far more national media and attention than any Libertarian Party
candidate has even gotten. I do believe that more libertarian minded people
should run as Republicans if they want to get elected.”
Though Paul did gain a lot
more promotion than he most likely would of as running third-party, he still
didn’t gain as much media as he deserved, according to both Dwyer and Borowski.
Dwyer argues: “The media did not
give Ron Paul 5% of the coverage it gave to Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt
Gingrich and the rest of the Republican nominees,” said Dwyer. “Ron Paul wasn’t
given a fair chance in the GOP. He was given less time to answer questions
during Republican debates, the GOP blatantly cheated him out of votes and
recognition, they changed rules so he wouldn’t be allowed to speak at the RNC,
the states with more Ron Paul delegates were placed in the back of the
Convention to help block them out. He won the state of Maine yet they took more
than half his delegates away. When they ‘voted’ on the rule change of switching
the number of states needed to be won from six to eight, they clearly did it to
keep Ron Paul off stage and out of the public eye. The vote was scripted…. Of
the major news networks covering the election and campaigns, they had a
combined ONE reporter who covered Ron Paul. They would come up with headlines
such as ‘Where is Ron Paul?’ All of this while Ron Paul was campaigning around
the country in front of thousands of people at each stop he made. I went to his
speech at Cornell University and there were easily over 5000 people in
attendance.”
Borowski, who has met Paul six or seven times,
says that, “The Republican Party's treatment of Ron Paul is frustrating. It
makes the Republican Party look like a closed tent. It is clear that they are
scared of new ideas infiltrating the party.”
Dwyer agrees, and has stated that, “The
Republican Party lost at all credibility with this year’s handling of the
nomination process. I do not believe they have the interests of every day
Americans at heart and are more concerned with keep the status quo then seeing
real change.”
Americans nationwide are becoming annoyed with
both the Democrat and Republican parties. However, the presidential race
remains tight with Romney leading at 50% to Obama at 47%.
Media still fails to mention other third-party
candidates still in the running, like Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Roseanne Barr,
and Thomas Hoefling, who are all on the official ballot in California.
“Ron Paul is against the Federal Reserve,
against the wars, against corporatism, and against all the laws/agencies like
the NDAA, Patriot Act, HR 347, TSA, etc., that have stripped civil liberties in
recent years,” Dwyer said. “When it comes to these policies, Romney and Obama
agree. Therefore Americans aren’t even given a real choice.”
LittleMissLibertarian
Miranda Pagan
Miranda Pagan
