If it is true that there is a struggle for the soul of the Tea Party, it's a struggle that has continued for more than a generation on the Right.
The Right in America has long had a Conservative Wing and an Individualist (Libertarian) Wing. Heroes of American Freedom, like Lysandor Spooner, H L Mencken, Robert Taft and Barry Goldwater exhibited the tension between these approaches to supporting American Liberty. Today Dr. Ron Paul (and soon his son Dr. Rand Paul, a former leader of the Kentucky Taxpayers) represent that tradition. Clearly the likes of the Bushes and their allies in the GOP don't.
In that sense, there is no struggle for the soul of the Freedom Movement when we understand that Movement has existed at least since the end of the War between the States and the enormous increase in Federal power. The Taxpayers Movement long represented the heart of Freedom in America. Many of us Baby-Boomers on the Right "cut our teeth" in the Goldwater Campaign and in the Taxpayer Movement.
Always, during the recent "lean" years of Leftist domination of the Federal govt, we've been able to look to Dr. Paul for leadership. He had a major role in returning to Americans their right to own Monetary Gold in the 1970s, thereby setting the stage for the faltering move toward Free Markets that, until the Federal Reserve's recent insanity, produced decades of sustained prosperity. He was always there, often as the only "NO!" vote in Congress, earning him the moniker, Dr. No. Resisting tyranny every step of the way.
Today the Health Freedom Movement, the Movement to End the Fed and similar are at the cutting edge of the Freedom Movement. Dr. Paul has been with us there from the start, on all of those issues.
If you are seeking the soul of the Tea Party you do not have to look beyond Ron Paul.
He is the gentlest gentleman in DC. But the steel in his heart shows through in the above appearance.
Take special note when the Liberal host parrots the usual stupidity about people who "need" to be tax-eaters and how, as Dr. Paul begins his usual explanation to Liberals about how their Warfare State makes their Welfare State impossible, and how the answer is to stop the wars and end the Empire... he's cut off. One thing good Liberals cannot ever, ever question is the Empire! The wars must continue, no matter whether the Left Neocons are in power or the "Right" Neocons are in power (I firmly believe all interventionists are leftists at heart, even Dick Chaney, and have nothing in common with the Movement to Restore the Republic).
Of course Dr. Paul is right, if we prevail, there will be some transition from what we have now back to the Constitutional Republic. His plan to use the tax savings from ending the Empire to reduce taxes while continuing to take care of the elderly and others who now depend on Welfare (or Social Security, which is more or less welfare...) is probably the best we can do... But as the Freedom Movement used to say about chattel slavery, "Gradualism in theory is perpetuity in practice." The evils of Federal interventionism, at home and abroad, must be ended, sooner rather than later. And no one involved the Federal govt is more likely to do that than Dr. Paul.
Or, of course, we will suffer exactly what Dr Paul predicts in this appearance... run away inflation which will evaporate the value of all pensions and savings, including Social Security. The Tea Party does not need "leaders" but it is sure comforting to know that we have Patriot Heroes like Dr Paul on our side!
Ralph Fucetola JD
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
