A Rally Report

I may have mentioned it here before but I think it deserves a little fuller exposition. #1 Daughter attended a Ron Paul rally in Champaign, Illinois where she is studying (3rd year) Chemical Engineering.

CHAMPAIGN — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said America needs to shrink the size of government and restore individual liberty.

“The enthusiasm for personal liberty has to be restored and has to be renewed,” he said.

Paul spoke for about an hour before an estimated 5,000 people, many of them chanting, “President Paul, President Paul,” Wednesday night at Huff Hall on the University of Illinois campus.

The event had to be moved to Huff from Foellinger Auditorium because demand for tickets exceeded the seating capacity at Foellinger.

Five thousand? In a town of about 81 thousand people (plus university students)? That is a heck of a rally. And it considerably exceeded expectations.

That sort of response may be why conservative Senator Jim DeMint has become a LOT more libertarian friendly these days. It may also be a preview of what is coming in the Fourth Turning. It bodes very well for our future.

I have been in some discussions about this with some Leftys and I can tell you they are none too happy about a politician promoting non-government solutions to various social problems. They are quite happy about the Drug Relegalization position the Pauls espouse. And not much else.

It is going to be quite interesting to see how Mormon Romney handles the legalization question given that sentiment for pot legalization is now above 50%.

So how might all this affect the coming election? Reuters looks at Colorado, the birthplace of the Libertarian Party. Colorado has on the ballot a proposition that would legalize marijuana for recreational use.

It’s unclear precisely how the U.S. Justice Department – whether led by Obama or Romney – would respond if Colorado, Washington or other states legalize marijuana for recreational use. Both politicians oppose legalizing the drug.

But in a close presidential election in which Colorado could be a tipping point – and with polls showing Obama has up to a 30-point edge over Romney among voters age 30 and under – the state’s marijuana initiative could be a factor if it inspires waves of young voters to cast ballots on November 6.

“This is an issue that is really meaningful to young people, people of color, disenfranchised communities,” groups that typically lag in registering and showing up to vote, said Brian Vicente, 35, executive director of Sensible Colorado, a group seeking less restrictive marijuana laws.

“Democrats and Obama need these groups to win,” Vicente said. “The path to the White House leads through Colorado. We feel we can motivate these groups.”

Last winter, Public Policy Polling found that 49 percent of Coloradans favored legalization, while 41 percent opposed it.

My guess (and it purely a guess) is that Obama will come out in the last weeks of the campaign in favor of legalization in the States (make it a States Rights issue). I think his gay marriage thing was a test run for that. It is going to be an interesting election season. And an even more interesting four years following.

Let me add that I think marijuana prohibition and the accompanying attacks on youth have done more to promote the idea of smaller government among the youth than any other policy I could think of. If Republicans come around and end the war on pot they will have those voters for life. I’m working on it.

Update: 11June2012 2319z

Evidently The GOP in Louisiana does not like Ron Paul.

Several supporters of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) sustained injuries while being arrested during the Louisiana Republican Party’s state convention over the weekend, in a conflict that engulfed the meeting after Paul’s supporters overwhelmed other delegates and voted in new leadership, only to be ignored.

Ron’s supporters used parliamentary procedure to get their guys elected to run the Louisiana Party. Naturally the party regulars didn’t like that and called the police on them. One Paul supporter had his hip replacement broken in the scuffle.

Uh. Guys – calling the police on people you are going to need to win the election in November is no way to win elections. As I implied above – so far the support for libertarian Republicans is at the margins of the Republican Party. As that changes expect more of these incidents. The good ole boys (establishment Republicans) will be going down hard.

The current Republican brand is just as much into power and control as the Democrats. It is why they lost in 2006 and 2008. They couldn’t get the Party behind them because of their spending excesses. I hope the Party doesn’t make the same mistake if they get into office in 2012/13. “It’s our turn” is not a good governing slogan for an electorate that wants smaller government.

This was sent to me by a close friend. CWPJR.


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2 responses to “A Rally Report”

  1. Yos / Si Vis Pacem Avatar

    You’ve been a’blogging about as long as Reynolds. Impressive!

  2. Simon Avatar
    Simon

    Yos,

    He is steadier. And thanks!

    Back before the ‘net was so busy Glenn and I used to be regular correspondents. 9/11 changed all that.