It is now typical for a person to cringe when he or she hears the word “politician.” The word has become associated with a person who perpetually lies and cannot be trusted. However, Ron Paul is a doctor turned politician who has a firm sense of right and wrong when it comes to government. His beliefs remain strong because he backs them up with evidence. He has an ever-growing following of people as his predictions of economic disaster come true with surprising validity. America is in need of a politician who truly stands for the country and upholding the values it was founded on, not just special interests, and Ron Paul is one of seemingly very few politicians who understand that. The following tracks illustrate Paul's values as he campaigns to turn this country around from the dangerous path it is currently heading down.
Tracks:
1. The Doobie Brothers - Takin' It to the Streets
2. The Fixx - One Thing Leads to Another
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up Around the Bend
4. Rush - Anthem
5. Bad Brains - Banned in D.C.
6. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
7. Rush - Closer to the Heart
Track 1: Takin' It to the Streets
The Doobie Brothers. "Takin' It to the Streets." Rec. 1975. Best of the Doobies. Warner Bros., 1976. CD.
Ron Paul is not in the presidential race for power. Instead, he aims to “reduce the power of government,” notably the powers of the executive and judicial branches (“Interview with Ron Paul”). He holds the belief that the government should only be responsible for “providing basic safety and security.” To that end, he has voted against many government programs such as Medicare and the CIA. He has thus received the apt nickname “Dr. No” (Crowley). The lyrics “I ain't blind and I don't like what I see” fit perfectly into Paul's mindset of how the government should be run as opposed to how it currently is.
Track 2: One Thing Leads to Another
The Fixx. "One Thing Leads to Another." One Thing Leads to Another: Greatest Hits. MCA, 1983. CD.
The Constitution is of the utmost importance to Paul. It, above all other things, defines where the government cannot intrude into the rights of the people. As Paul puts it blatantly, “The Constitution was written to restrict the government, not to restrict the people.” But now, according to him, “it's turned around,” and he intends to undo that. (“Interview”). It is easy to imagine Paul asking the same question as the song, “Why don't they do what they say, say what they mean” after politicians take the Oath of Office and swear to uphold the Constitution?
Track 3: Up Around the Bend
Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Up Around the Bend." Rec. 1970. At the Movies. Fantasy, 1970. CD.
Expecting correctly what the future holds for the country is a skill of Paul's. After Nixon finalized the departure of the U.S. Dollar from the gold standard, Paul decided to enter politics in order to combat the problems that would arise in the economy. He has also been an opponent of the Federal Reserve, continuously pushing for an audit of it, which finally resulted in an audit provision passing unanimously in the Senate following the financial crisis of 2008 (Crowley). “There's a place up ahead I'm goin' . . . leave the sinkin' ship behind” echoes Paul's steadfast belief that the economy has to be redone.
Track 4: Anthem
Rush. "Anthem." Fly by Night. Terry Brown, 1975. CD.
Many people from diverse backgrounds identify with Paul's message. His ideas appeal to groups of college students and evangelist pastors to hardcore republicans and conspiracy theorists. While every group of people who agrees wit him may not agree with all of his policies, he does appeal to them all in a very strong way. The lyrics “Live for yourself – There's no one else more worth living for” are almost identical to his words while campaigning to keep the government out of people's business while they live their life, and it is easy to see why this message resonates with so many people (Doherty).
Track 5: Banned in D.C.
Bad Brains. "Banned in D.C." Rec. 1981. Bad Brains. Reach Out International Records, 1982. CD.
In spite of Paul's strong supporter base, the media tries to ignore his campaign. In the straw poll of Ames, Iowa, Paul managed to secure second place behind Michele Bachmann by only 152 votes. Even with such a close poll, Paul was ignored in many reports by major newspapers, with some claiming that Paul is just unelectable (Hagey). However, neither Paul or his supporters let this stop his message from reaching more and more people like the Bad Brains, who despite being “Banned in D.C.,” still have “a thousand more places to go.”
Track 6: Tubthumping
Chumbawamba. "Tubthumping." Rec. 1996. Tubthumper. Electrola, 1997. CD.
Ron Paul has worked constantly throughout his political career to promote his ideas. He was able to take office in Congress in 1976, he then left the capitol in 1985 to pursue a Senate and later presidential career, and he has been in Congress continuously since 1997. Despite his failures in the presidential races of 1988 and 2008 (Crowley), Paul could easily sing “I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down” as he readies himself to win the 2012 presidential race. His devotion to politics shows just how important returning the United States to its former self is to him.
Track 7: Closer to the Heart
Rush. "Closer to the Heart." Rec. June 1977. A Farewell to Kings. Terry Brown, 1977. CD.
Ron Paul's ideals and vision for America are far reaching. Even if he does not manage to win the presidential election, his mindset will be carried forward by others. Supporters of his in Florida promote getting involved in government to push Paul's ideas, specifically in county GOP executive committees. Inspired activists in Alabama also form groups pushing single issues on freedom related topics such as gun rights (Doherty). The idea that “You can be the captain and I will draw the chart sailing into destiny” applies to many of Paul's supporters who see Paul as the captain of a ship they wish to help steer forward and possibly take charge of when Paul must eventually step down.
Works Cited
Crowley, Michael, Alex Altman, and Jay Newton-Small. "How the Pauls (Ron and Rand) Are Reshaping Politics." Time Magazine. Time Inc., 27 May 2010. Web. 5 Sept. 2011.
The focus of the article is on the Paul family, notably Ron and Rand Paul. It starts with Rand's seemingly unlikely chance at winning a Senate seat, but moves on to the politician's gaining popularity among voters. It then moves on to his father, Ron, arguably being responsible for the change in voter opinion due to his views on subjects such as the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve. The article ends by returning to Rand and exemplifying what makes him more flexible, politically, than his father, before speculating on what the future might hold for the both of them.
Doherty, Brian. "Scenes from the Ron Paul Revolution." Reason. Reason Foundation, Feb. 2008. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.
The article focuses on different aspects of Paul's campaign as the writer follows Paul through Iowa in the final days of October 2008. It starts off summarizing the campaign and its major developments in the public sphere, such as Paul's appearance on The Tonight Show and his strong impact on the internet. The rest of the article follows Paul through Iowa with the writer describing Paul's speeches, interviewing his supporters, as well as commenting on the campaign's effects as a whole.
Hagey, Keach. "Ron Paul Supporters Decry Media Neglect." Politico. Allbritton Communications, 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.
"Interview with Ron Paul." Interview by Chris Wallace. Fox News Sunday. FOX. New York City, New York, 28 Aug. 2011. Television. Transcript.
Ron Paul was interviewed by Chris Wallace, and the interview started with Paul's opposition to FEMA based on its poor track record and financial situation. The next questions focused on why Paul is now gaining a political following, what he plans to achieve with his campaign, his view on the outing of Gadhafi in Libya, how the Austrian School of Economics works and how its notable leaders would deal with the economy today, and how his criticism of Ben Bernanke may have affected Bernanke.
Skidmore, Gage. 2011. Photograph. Ron Paul Forums. 23 Apr. 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.
