Rand, Ron and The Future of The Liberty Movement

My initial reaction to hearing of Rand Paul's endorsement of Mitt Romney was a punch-t0-the gut feeling like I've felt only twice before in my life.  The last time was finding out an ex-girlfriend had been cheating on me while we were together.  The time before that was far more traumatic however.  It was a warm summer night in 1996 when a 16 year old future libertarian blogger watched in horror as childhood hero Hulk Hogan dropped the leg heard 'round the world, joined the evil New World Order, and changed the world of professional wrestling forever.That Stomach Punch reared its' ugly head one more time last Thursday evening, when I'd heard the news that Senator Rand Paul, son of Congressman Ron Paul and staunch defender of liberty in the Senate, was endorsing Mitt Romney.  It's the kind of feeling that's hard to shake.  It lingers around as you ask yourself , "How did I not see it coming" or better yet "How was I not more prepared for this since I should have seen it coming?"   Most of the time shocking revelations aren't as much shocking in fact as they are in one's ability to accept those facts.In reality, Rand's endorsement of Mitt Romney shouldn't have and didn't come as a surprise to anybody that's been paying attention.  There is no doubt that, for better or worse, the Ron Paul campaign seemed to abruptly change directions about a month ago.  Between a successful string of state convention victories and numerous record-breaking rallies for Ron Paul in various states, it seemed as if things were on the upswing.  The long-touted "delegate strategy" seemed to be bearing fruit, and it was truly inspiring seeing youth around the country gather to hear Dr. Paul spread the messages of liberty.  And then, seemingly out of nowhere and right before major primaries in Texas and California, the Paul campaign released a statement  saying it was suspending campaigning in upcoming primaries and focusing solely on the delegate strategy.  To Ron Paul activists, this move made sense as it had become clear that he was going to be unable to realistically compete in these primaries, and with somewhat limited resources it made sense to focus them where they were most likely to achieve success.   But in terms of public relations the move seemed odd.  This gave the media, who had already tacitly written Paul out of the race, the chance to finally jump in and say "Look! We told you! He has no chance and now he's really out so just shut yer silly mouths about all this 'liberty' stuff!".  As much as the move made sense, the timing of the announcement seemed odd and certainly didn't do the Ron Paul activists battling for every vote and every delegate any favors.Somewhat predictably, Paul did not make much of a dent in the remaining primaries, and shortly thereafter released an email that essentially ceded that Romney would be the nominee.  The email also pointed out that Paul delegates would end up making up about 20% of the delegation at the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August, no small feat considering the media blackout throughout the campaign and the constant reports of underhanded tactics by the establishment GOP in many caucuses.   Rand Paul endorsed his father at the very beginning of the primary race, and has consistently qualified that as a Republican Senator, he would endorse the nominee of the Republican party, whomever that may be.   So it certainly made perfect sense in every logical way that, now that Ron Paul had seemingly acknowledged that he will not be the nominee, Rand Paul would go on to endorse Romney.Despite all of this, it was still difficult to hear.   Senator Paul has earned my respect with his record in defending liberty during his time in the Senate.  He has spoken out against the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA, single-handedly stood up to stop war with Iran, attempted to block the extension of the Patriot Act, called for an audit of the Federal Reserve and an end to the TSA.  While Paul has qualified in the past that he's not a libertarian, he by far has been the most vocal and active opponent on the side of liberty in the United States Senate in the past two years.  Meanwhile, the man who he has just endorsed said he would sign the NDAA, is enthusiastic about military action against Iran, is a big fan of the Patriot Act, loves the Federal Reserve , and thinks the TSA is doing a fine and dandy job.  It's almost unfathomable how opposing their stated viewpoints are. And yet there was Rand Paul, on the Sean Hannity Show of all places, stating that he was "happy to announce" his support for Governor Romney.I held back from posting an immediate rant on this subject, as I knew it wouldn't be pretty.  Instead I decided to sit back, take a few deep breathes and soak everything in.  I listened to Alex Jones rant and rave about it and Ron Paul campaign blogger Jack Hunter defend it.  I read all the forums, all the opinions, all the confusion and anger.  But once the emotion washed away and the Stomach Punch feeling had subsided, I had to really ask myself:  What does it mean? What does it change?What does it mean?The fact is there have always been two sides to the Ron Paul campaign: the political campaign and the educational campaign. The political campaign for President and everything that comes with it - campaigning, political advertisements, and accumulating as many votes and more importantly as many delegates as possible -  has been both a failure and a success.  The ultimate prize of President appears to be out of reach and of course that is the end goal of any campaign.  But there will also be a healthy contingent of Ron Paul delegates at the Tampa Convention, far more than those representing any other candidates besides Romney.   The delegates ultimately control the convention, form the party platform and even choose the Vice President.  Considering that Ron Paul and his followers have long been written off as "gadflys" and been largely shunned from the political process, the emergence of Paul supporters as such a significant percentage of the Republican delegation has to be considered a positive for the movement.In that respect, the fact that Mitt Romney was seeking the endorsement of Rand Paul and had a private meeting with him presumably in order to gain it shows how much political capital the Ron Paul movement has gained.  It may very well be the case that people in the Paul campaign, for better or worse, made the decision that they weren't going to win the nomination and that the best way to maximize their affect within the party and be sure that Paul delegates actually get seated at the convention was to "play nice" with the Establishment GOP and essentially cede the nomination.   Even with information coming out that national delegates may not be legally bound at all, it would mean a nasty floor fight and there would be cries that Paul supporters were attempting to curtail the political process and "steal" the nomination. Of course Paul supporters know that it has been Romney operatives and establishment GOP hacks who have been undermining the political process in reality, but again this is the political campaign we are talking about.   In politics perception is reality, and the perception of those "crazy Ron Paul people" attempting to cause a ruckus at the Republican Convention could set back many of the gains they have made in the party.  If the political goal is to take over the GOP, it makes all the sense in the world to collect as many delegates as possible while encouraging them to remain "respectful" at the convention.  It also makes all the sense in the world politically for a freshman Republican Senator to endorse his party's nomineeFor Rand Paul, the decision to endorse Mitt Romney doesn't mean much.  It's not likely that either Rand Paul nor Mitt Romney have suddenly changed any of their positions.  But after the events of the past month, it has become increasingly clear that some sort of deal has been made behind the scenes.  It's hard not to trust men with the history and voting records of both Pauls, and I sincerely hope that whatever decisions have been made behind the scenes, whatever plan they have in place results in something positive for the liberty movement.  Maybe we get a real audit of the Federal Reserve, or somehow prevent a war with Iran. And maybe some day in the future, we can look back and make sense of all of this. Maybe.What does it change?What Rand Paul and others in the Paul campaign may not fully understand is that many of Paul's most ardent supporters aren't necessarily politically keen, and nor do they care to be.  For many longtime Ron Paul supporters like myself, the attraction to Ron Paul was never the way he played politics; it was the fact that he didn't.  He never endorsed John McCain. He never endorsed George W. Bush. He never "went along to get along", which is the main reason most of the bills he introduced never got passed and he often found himself as the sole "no" vote on many issues.  These are not qualities that usually make a successful politician.  But they are qualities of a man with true principle and commitment to his beliefs.  And this more than anything else is what has inspired so many people to join the Ron Paul Revolution. There are many theories as to why Rand Paul really went ahead and publicly endorsed Mitt Romney.  But when it comes right down to it, it doesn't matter why.  It was a political decision, and the liberty movement is and will continue to become so much bigger than politics.  While politicians write laws and engage in political theater, those inspired by the Ron Paul Revolution are busy studying Austrian economics and learning about the non-aggression principle.   While politicians pander for votes, we will continue to educate ourselves and others.Does Rand Paul's endorsement make you feel sick to your stomach like it did mine? Well it's time to suck it up and take some LibertyBismol.  Political endorsements come and go and in the grand scheme of things hardly mean anything.  I don't like it, and it will certainly make me look at Rand Paul with a more discerning eye in the future.  But if the worst thing Rand Paul ever does is unenthusiastically support Mitt Romney (watch the video , it almost comes across like an SNL skit)) while continuing to fight just as hard on the right side of liberty in the Senate, then ultimately who cares?When Hulk Hogan dropped that leg on the Macho Man on that warm summer night it came across as one of the most dramatic moments in the history of wrestling, maybe even in the history of television.  Hogan had transformed from beloved Real American Hero to vile hated "Hollywood" Hogan in the blink of an eye.  But later that night, Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bolea went back home to his family and was the same man he was earlier that morning.   I'd like to think Rand Paul did the same after his appearance on the Sean Hannity Show.The Rand endorsement changes little, but it is proof positive that the Ron Paul Revolution has evolved from a bunch of anonymous voices ranting away in the wilderness of political forums into an actual, certifiable political force.  And either way, the future of the liberty movement lies in the hearts and minds of the people, and not with the acts of politicians.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!