How did you "discover" Ron Paul?

In 2008 he was the only politician I liked but I was only a teenager and not really political. Then I left the country and was living in Latin America and became politically aware after Obama backed a Coup d'état in Honduras. I was seduced by Fidel's and Chavez's anti-imperialist rhetoric but I never bought into the idealistic socialism. When I finally came back home in 2011 and I promptly joined the Ronulans, I started reading about free markets and became a Libertarian and then only like a week later became a full blown Anarcho-Capitalist.
 
Kind of backwards actually. Heard his name but never really paid attention because he was a Republican, and as far as I was concerned in my limited understanding it was all Republicans' fault that we were at war. Started with Ayn Rand which led to Murray Rothbard, the Austrians, Mises.org and LRC, and only then did I realize that Ron Paul had a part in that lineage. Even after I had embraced the philosophy, it took me a while to wrap my head around why this guy was in the Republican party. Only after looking at his voting record and seeing the 434 to 1's and learning the history of Goldwater, Reagan, and the LP did I understand and get on board.
 
Origanalist said:
Carlybee, I have to ask. How does one go from a progressive to supporting liberty? Not trying to be an ass, but genuinely curious.
Click to expand...

I wasnt really but I was very anti war and supported Kerry to get Bush out...learned shortly thereafter that would have been a fallacy anyway but I was still not quite enlightened. I am still a bit socially liberal but fiscally conservative. The real turning point for me was reading Ron Paul's speech on Neocons. The learning process has been ongoing since. I think of myself as libertarian but truth be known am probably more ancap.
 
I'm in a unique position to convince NeoCons because I was one. Kinda. I'm 45 years old and during the late 80's and early 90's I listened to Rush while I drove my truck as an electrician in VA. I liked Perot at that time even though Rush didn't. Then Perot dropped out and then came back, he seemed kinda wacky so I ended up supporting Bush against Clinton. I moved back home to GA and started listening to Boortz and quickly decided that I was a Libertarian so I registered as one and donated to the party. I voted for Harry Browne but was discouraged and finally realized that a 3rd party candidate can't compete against the other two. If any candidate could have awoken the people as much as Harry Browne and still not come close to winning then it was a lost cause. I voted for GW Bush against Gore, and after 9-11 I defended our actions, I defended Bush for at least 7 of his 8 years in office. I made excuses for no WMDs, I argued with fellow workers who were 9-11 "truthers" and punched holes in their arguments with ease. I saw the debate in 08 with Paul saying it was our actions that provoked 9-11 and I refused to believe it calling him a crazy old man. When Herman Cain announced his run, I jumped right on board having listened to him for years fill in for Neal, and having watched a lot of Beck. Until he came out with 9.9.9. I was a supporter but once he did that he lost me. How could he? Did he not read the Fair Tax and know that it calls for a repeal of the 16th amendment? Then I saw Dr Paul say we started this back in 1953 and I was like "What is he talking about?" so I googled him and it... the rest is history. Once you do your own research as they all tell you to do but most don't want you to do you realize that Paul has been right the whole time. I knew back in '06 that the ARM mortgages were going to cause a housing market crash, he knew years earlier and everyone called him nuts. They then called him nuts when he told the truth about the motives for 9-11. "Maybe he was right all along" I told myself. Come to find out he was. The rest is history. I have convinced many of my friends that were in the same boat as I was and knew I was a strong Bush defender. They knew that if I could accept that maybe the government didn't tell the whole story about domestic issues, that maybe they also don't tell the whole story about foreign issues, that they too should look further into the reasons behind many things they defended.
 
Saw him interviewed by Aaron Russo in Freedom to Fascism in 2006. I was pretty blown away by his candor and said to myself, "Wow, I wish someone like that would run for President!" Little did I know that my wish would be answered 15 months later. I forgot about him until I heard somewhere that there was a republican running in 2007 that had a libertarian streak, found out it was Paul and then I tuned in to see him interviewed on Bill Maher. Maher being the clueless, ahistorical liberal that he is conducted a very weak interview, basically calling Paul a kook for not supporting the Civil War. Ron set him straight though by citing historical facts about the war, I cheered him on! I was a student of history and I never heard the point Paul brought up that all other nations on earth ended slavery without a civil war. This intrigued me, here was a guy running for President that had a libertarian streak and really knew history and cited it in his arguments. I love how Bill Maher cocks his head like a confused puppy when Ron proceeds to give him a history lesson.

 
trey4sports said:
uhhh, well, kind of.

He actually had the audacity to claim that Ron Paul copied his (Rush's) ideas and touted them as his own. Yeah, really.
Click to expand...
He actually said the words "Ron Paul" which was a huge step. Up until then I don't think he ever referred to him by name.
 
Im not sure. He was my second choice in 2008 after Obama. Probably from the debates or some forums.
 
I voted for him back in 1988. I started to dislike both parties and politicians. I didn't know about him, but I just read the voters pamphlet and he sounded much better.

Then 90's all threw Alex Jones to today
 
After 911, I heard some dude on the radio saying that no one had even read the Patriot Act and that it was unconstitutional.

I thought: "Whoa, a politician that speaks the truth? How'd that happen?" I looked him up online and it was this old guy named Ron Paul and I wondered at the time why he didn't run for president, but I figured it would never happen. I started following his House speeches etc and liked him more and more.

I was 14 at the time.

When he announced his candidacy for 2008, I almost cried- never thought I would vote in my lifetime.
 
On the ballot in Montana in '08 - voted for him because he wasn't McCain, Obama or third party.
 
I'm an avid numismatist and around 2008 I got interested in Norfed (Liberty) Dollars.
Ron was depicted on one or two at the time and I thought I'd google him.

I'm glad I did.

The moment in the South Carolina debate when he went off on Carl Cameron is what did it for me though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Brian4Liberty
  • Featured
Ron Paul Institute Conference, Lake Jackson, March 2025
Replies
5
Views
188
Brian4Liberty
Brian4Liberty
Bryan
Greatest Ron Paul videos
Replies
0
Views
309
Bryan
Bryan
Occam's Banana
The "Giuliani Moment"
Replies
6
Views
1K
Intrepid
Intrepid
Occam's Banana
Ron Paul made the present moment possible
Replies
0
Views
1K
Occam's Banana
Occam's Banana
PAF
President Trump: Stop Bombing Yemen and Exit the Middle East!
Replies
1
Views
283
TheTexan
TheTexan
Back
Top