2007: A Paulitical Odyssey

The fourth quarter of Ron Paul's run for the Presidency has surely been a whirlwind if not historic.

These past few months have seen a flurry of activities, all of which signify the steady, logarithmic growth of the Ron Paul campaign. Where other campaigns are peaking, or have already peaked, the Ron Paul campaign has maintained a consistent and steady upward pattern, all without any willing help from the Old Media. The Old Media has been covering the historic events as they occur with an obvious reluctance. The Ron Paul Revolution's methods and effects on the current status quo can be summed up in a single cinematic scene: H.A.L.'s breakdown in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

If you remember this classic, you remember H.A.L. putting up obstacle after obstacle only to have Dave Bowman finally prevail and shut down that which had become a sinister master to those it was designed to serve. The Revolution is doing the same thing: regaining control over a government that has become master rather than servant of the people. The usual excuses and obstacles are being respectively discarded and ignored. What's rarely noted is the symbiotic relationship between members of the Revolution and its courageous leader; a perfect give and take affair in which each victory by one side or the other, makes the whole stronger. Several examples stand out.

On December 17, 2007, Glen Beck interviewed Dr. Paul and gave him the entire hour in which to answer his questions. That Dr. Paul agreed to appear was an act of courage bordering on heroism. Only weeks earlier, Beck had circled the neoconservative wagons, inviting David Horowitz and Jonathan Sands on his show to smear Paul's supporters and accuse them of terrorism. I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade but I personally don't think that Beck's change of heart, if that is indeed what it was, had anything to do with ideology. The prior attack brought forth quite a few suggestions that Beck's sponsors be contacted. I'm quite sure that this call wasn't ignored. How else do you explain such a quick turnaround in programming; from a long segment attacking Ron Paul's campaign to a full hour interview?

Perhaps this also explains the reason for Beck's bizarre behavior. Ranging from strange sexual innuendo, to a very clumsy attempt at playing the victim, it looked like Beck intended to be mean but couldn't quite pull it off properly. His body language and speech suggested he wasn't truly prepared for what he was facing. He looked as a man suppressing confession. Or, maybe he was afraid of openly attacking somebody so obviously polite and honest. As Lew Rockwell said back on November 18, "Ron is so transparently decent that the libels of the haters rebound against them, undermining them rather than him." 

The decimation of another Old Media commentator came on December 19th, as Neil Cavuto became the latest victim. Cavuto decided to pose Dr. Paul as his analyst to comment on whether or not "warm and fuzzy" candidate commercials were effective and then brought up a three-month-old story about donations by questionable characters to the campaign, finally asking, "What are you going to do about that?" Dr Paul's answers were so perfect that by the end of the interview you can hear Cavuto groaning and mumbling; wishing that the pain and embarrassment would just stop. Listening to the final 30 seconds of that interview, I haven't laughed so hard in weeks.

Dr. Paul's increasing media exposure was made possible by the other half of the Revolution, those crazy supporters. Having raised 4.2 million dollars on November 5th, supporters were not content to rest on their laurels. That mark was shattered on December 16th when over 6 million dollars were delivered to the campaign, surpassing John Kerry's record of 2004. It wasn't nearly the whole story.

"My God, it's full of Ron Paul supporters..."

During this quarter:

·       Supporters launched the Ron Paul blimp, raising over 300,000 dollars to launch it.

·       Hundreds (over 400) are moving to New Hampshire in order to canvass for Dr. Paul.

·       A Letter writing campaign was initiated so that hand-written letters could be delivered to voters in every county in Iowa. Over 518,000 have been mailed.

·       Meetup groups all across the country have been training members how to get elected as delegates to the national convention. It's already having a disquieting effect on Republican carpet-baggers across the country.

·       Ron Paul's poll numbers, even though certainly under counted, have risen from 2% to 7% nationally. This represents a steady changing of minds, exactly what you hope for in a political campaign.

·       Rallies were held world-wide on December 16, to commemorate the latest fund-raising achievement as it happened including in Belgium and France. The movement is global.

In short, there is no stopping this Revolution. The Old Guard is H.A.L. The Revolution is Major Dave Bowman. The film, arguably Kubrick's most innovative, is essentially about awakenings. This modern Revolution is an awakening, The Dawn Of Man. A new generation and the remnant are picking up the bones and discovering that, indeed, they hold their own future in their hands. And like H.A.L., the Old Guard is putting up its obstacles but it will not succeed.

Also, like H.A.L. the Old Guard is artificial. The true power in government is derived from the people. What we’ve accepted for so long is an artificial construct, namely, that our safety and our rights are the government’s to manage. We are at a time when our rights are being ignored on the pretense that our safety is at stake.

In our story, the obelisk, an object which was placed as an experiment meant to advance mankind, is the constitution. Its creators were not aliens, but men who fought and sometimes died for the principles contained therein.

I estimate that we are at the point where David Bowman is trying to re-enter Discovery One and H.A.L. is revealing that he is on to the conspiracy. The result is just as inevitable. While now is not the time to celebrate victories, I do expect a party to rock the globe (without spending any tax dollars) on January 20, 2009. That will be the day to rest and assess what has been achieved. And a day where the world breathes a collective sigh of relief.