The Wake

Minnesota held statewide caucuses on Tuesday, February 5, and it was a sight to see. Ford Hall was the place to be for young Republicans on campus. Caucus organizers expected a measly 10-20 people, while roughly 300 decided to make their voices heard. With no organization whatsoever, lines stretched across the first floor of Ford Hall, and classrooms were standing room only.

One might find this turnout to be encouraging, and for the most part it truly was. However, there was a strong fanatic following of a particular candidate, which ranged from true believers of his message, to those who saw him speak once and flocked like sheep. No, this person was not Jesus Christ. It was Ron Paul.

For those who have never heard of Dr. Ron Paul before, he is a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology and has been a congressman from the 14th district in Texas since 1997. He ran for president one other time as a Libertarian in 1988 and is seeking the Republican nomination this year, but has won only five delegates.

Recently, his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2008 election has slowed down. At the caucus, I remembered chalk drawings that said “Google Ron Paul.” I used to wonder who the fuck Ron Paul was and why Googling his name would be more entertaining than my own. Now I was intrigued why so many college kids still love him and both the media and his own party thinks he is the apocalypse, the plague, and herpes all rolled into one.

As I wandered down the long line of elephant huggers prior to the caucus festivities, I needed to find someone that looked like a Ron Paul supporter. Finally, I hit the jackpot.

His name was Ryan Wilson and he loved what Ron Paul had to say the night before in his speech held in Northrop Auditorium. Wilson was a young, red-haired idealist who just wanted the government to lay off him.

“I don’t like the privacy of government. I don’t like a thousand departments of who knows what they’re doing or what’s going on,” Wilson says, “And I don’t like it that my tax dollars are going to stop me from smoking my weed!”

I scoured Ron Paul’s Web site, ronpaul2008.com, to find his stance on drugs and drug use, but only found articles he wrote about how prescription drug companies are the true drug cartels. So will Ron Paul really allow you to smoke your weed?

Another college-aged kid I ran into was named Josh. He was at the caucus and was voting for Ron Paul, but it seemed like he was either really tired or just stoned.

He said he went to the Ron Paul speech under the influence, which was probably the best way to go. When asked why he was voting for Ron Paul, he made a very articulate and logical argument.

“He likes small government, and, and I don’t remember.” Josh says. “I went to his rally drunk last night and the things he said, I don’t remember, but I was happy at the time.”

Is this really the way Paul wants his message heard? By some drunk kid and another who just wanted to get a little high? I knew there had to be someone out there who knew what Paul is really trying to accomplish through his small government ideals. I found them as the caucus progressed.

There was one who truly believed in Ron Paul and was voted as a delegate for the district. His name was Jonathan Kuipers, a student in the dental school. If there was an award for most passionate person at the caucus, he would have been at least a nominee.

Many Paul supporters are in favor of his small government ideas. Kuipers says that Paul’s voting record shows he is the true conservative vying for the nomination. He says he usually votes Republican, but has become disenfranchised with Republicans. He believes Paul is the one who can bring these conservative ideals back to the party.

“They’ve embraced the things they used to not like i.e. larger government,” Kuipers says. “They’re spending like crazy and they haven’t done anything to change it.”

Another issue that many Paul people rally behind is his stance on military action. Paul said he voted against the Iraq War from its inception and vows to bring troops home. He has also said on numerous occasions that he voted against the Patriot Act. Kuipers says he agrees with Paul’s stance that the Patriot Act is too invasive, even if it is supposedly for our own good.

“He voted against the Patriot Act against all his Republican colleagues,” Kuipers says. “It is my opinion and (Paul’s) also that if we’re willing to give up our freedoms in exchange for security, then that’s a really bad deal.”

Kuipers went on to reference a stirring Ben Franklin quote:

“People who are willing to give up their freedoms for security, they will end up with neither,” Kuipers says.

Though the actual quote is, “Those who would give up essential liberties to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety,” I applaud him for the effort. At least I found someone who knows something about America and has some passion.

Of course with the lovers come the haters. One of these non-Paul supporters was junior finance major Paul Delahunt. He says he voted for Mitt Romney because he has shown good leadership qualities by running a state and a corporation, but also says he was not enthusiastic about any candidate.

Delahunt says he actually agrees with Paul’s principles, but thinks Paul is too inexperienced to be president. While Paul’s rivals have been more prominent in politics, Paul has just been a representative.

“I think he would be a horrendous candidate,” Delahunt says. “He’s definitely not qualified to be president.”

Another knock against the Ron Paul bandwagon is Paul’s extreme ideas. Delahunt says that though he agrees with what Paul stands for, he says Paul is too out there to be president.

“In a lot of respects he’s rather crazy,” Delahunt says. “He wants to eliminate every government department we have and I feel like that is actually irresponsible.”

However, many Ron Paul believers think his small government ideas are plausible. Noelle Harden, a senior geography major who was voted to be a delegate, is a strong Ron Paul supporter. She had a giant Ron Paul sign and some stickers. She says that the media and people in power promote the idea that Ron Paul is batty.

“There’s a complete monopoly on the media,” Harden says. “If people actually listened to the man speak and listen to him state what he believes in, I think his numbers would be a lot better.”

To me, this is a huge statement about the American people. That statement is that we are still lazy when it comes to politics. We whine and complain about hearing the same shit, yet we still vote people into office that are saying it. If we do not take the time to listen what candidates are truly saying, then we deserve to hear the same recycled bullshit pandering that we have heard for 232 years.