Ron Paul’s Appalling World View

Exclusive: There was buzz on the Internet after libertarian Ron Paul delivered what was billed as his final address in Congress. But his near-hour-long speech sounded more like the ramblings of a right-wing crank than the coherent thoughts of the principled idealist that his fans rave about, writes Robert Parry.

By Robert Parry

Rep. Ron Paul,an icon to the libertarian Right and to some on the anti-war Left, gave a farewell address to Congress that expressedhis neo-Confederate interpretation of the Constitution and his anti-historical view of the supposedly good old days of laissez-faire capitalism.

In a near-hour-long rambling speechon Nov. 14, Paul also revealed himself to be an opponent of pure democracy because government by the people and for the people tends to infringe on the liberty of businessmen who, in Pauls ideal world, should be allowed to do pretty much whatever they want to the less privileged.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, answering questions while campaigning in New Hampshire in 2008. (Photo credit: Bbsrock)

In Pauls version of history, the United States lost its way at the advent of the Progressive Era about a century ago. The majority of Americans and many government officials agreed that sacrificing some liberty was necessary to carry out what some claimed to be progressive ideas, said the 77-year-old Texas Republican. Pure democracy became acceptable.

Before then, everything was workingjust fine, in Pauls view. But the reality was anything but wonderful for the vast majority of Americans. A century ago, women were denied the vote by law and many non-white males were denied the vote in practice. Uppity blacks were frequently lynched.

The surviving Native Americans were confined to oppressive reservations at the end of a long process of genocide. Conditions werent much better for the white working class. Many factory workers toiled 12-hour days and six-day weeks in very dangerous conditions, and union organizers were targeted for reprisals and sometimes death.

For small businessmen, life was treacherous, too, with the big monopolistic trusts overcharging for key services and with periodic panics on Wall Street rippling out across the country in bank failures, bankruptcies and foreclosures.

Meanwhile, obscenely rich Robber Barons, like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan, personally controlled much of the nations economy and manipulated the political process through bribery. They were the ones who owned the real liberty.

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Ron Paul’s Appalling World View