So What is the Future for Liberty in Our Closed Political Monopoly?

Let's take over the GOP from the inside rather than fight them in a rigged election process where third-party candidates are hidden by a news blackout enforced by both parties and the main street news media. For example, how many times have the national LP candidates been in a debate with the candidates of the GOP or Democrats? Contrast this with Paul's repeated debate inclusion during the 2012 primary season.

Americans historically do not vote for third-party presidential candidates in the general election. At the end of this election will we be remembered and feared as a 15% voting block that is taking over the GOP one county at a time from the good ol' boy establishment or do we fall for the third-party attraction and receive a meaningless one time few percent of the national vote in November?

Our one chance for ultimate victory is to take advantage of the GOP party rules used for years to rally conservative and free-market voters at election time. Of course, they then dismiss us after election day until the next siren call for voters to support a GOP with less government rhetoric but, in fact, almost a mirror image of the socialist Democrats. Like the unions and liberal voting blocks of the Democrats, we are considered little more than voting cannon fodder to be used at election time.

In my opinion, a rush to the Libertarian Party or another third party if Ron Paul doesn't win the GOP presidential nomination is a big mistake that could dramatically weaken the power and cripple the future viability of his liberty movement. I personally will not even consider voting for Romney unless he picks Ron or Rand Paul as his VP candidate, and if it is Rand, Ron is offered a top cabinet position as Secretary of the Treasury etc.

Note, I'm certainly not urging Paul supporters to support a Romney/Paul ticket; rather, I'm keeping my options open in order to provide the maximum leverage to Paul forces at the convention by categorically stating, "No Paul = No Vote For the Republican Ticket in November."

Second, no meaningless gestures like a prime convention-speaking slot or influence over the party platform will buy my support. I suggest you do the same until after the GOP convention, and then let your conscience be your guide.

Both Political Party Leaderships are Controlled by Special Interests

If the young Paul supporters continue to participate in the GOP, then the establishment will be powerless to stop our eventual takeover at the county, state and potentially the national level as the older propagandized, sheep-like voters die off. The Internet reformation has meant that the old "lesser of two evils" strategy used by both political parties to motivate voting blocks is, thankfully, dying.

Today, with alternative news sites and free-market alternatives open for discovery, anyone willing to search the Net will quickly realize the "lesser of two evils" meme is just propaganda. Both parties, regardless of propaganda and rhetoric at election time, have similar agendas and governance plans based on powerful special interests. Neither represents the people, only special interests.

How ironic that my generation, which had some faith and allegiance to the party leadership and yet believed in our constitutional and free-market principles, stood by and did nothing to halt the growth of government and loss of our liberties at the hands of the GOP elites when they knew better. In every election they blindly cheered the election-year rhetoric, voted as they were told and then were somehow surprised after each election that despite the same old campaign promises their candidates were little different from the Democrats. Government and foreign neocon-style military actions increased while our personal and financial freedoms were decimated as surely by the GOP as the Democrats.

Remember both Alan Greenspan, the architect of the boom and 2008 meltdown, and Ben Bernanke, whose policies prolonged and deepened the recession/depression, were appointed Chairman of the Federal Reserve by GOP presidents. Nixon gave us the Nixon Shock in 1971, unilaterally cancelling the direct convertibility of the US dollar to gold. George H.W. Bush pledged "no new taxes" in his 1988 campaign and then raised taxes and spending, and his son, George W., started two major wars that continue even today.

A Wing and a Prayer

Our goal should be to build a permanent, expanding Paulian or liberty wing of the Republican Party over the next four years. I don't believe we have a prayer of impacting policies or relevance in the political process if we go down the road of good intentions but unintended negative consequences of third-party political action.

We should remain active in the GOP and work to gain majority control over local precincts and county organizations and play by the rules, unlike many of the present party hacks and leaders. Second, we should run for office and support candidates, especially at the legislature level, that share our views. Third, run or support candidates running for Congress over the next four years who will advance our freedom-oriented objectives concerning the Federal Reserve, rolling back the police state, sound money and an intelligent foreign policy.

Romney has the Nomination but Will Lose in November Unless…

The controlled and manipulated GOP nomination process is over except for the coronation convention and media circus. Its all fake, just like the "Hunger Games" extravaganza, and Mitt Romney will be the GOP presidential candidate but his victory march may well end where it begins, in Tampa.

First, in November he'll automatically get the GOP moderates and the usual "status quo" Republican country-club types who have no philosophy but just want to be on the winning team for contracts, graft and power. He will get endorsements and votes from social conservative supporters of Gingrich and Santorum and the earlier presidential candidates. But he will likely lose two key constituencies required for him to win against Obama and the Democratic machine: Ron Paul supporters and conservative evangelicals.

The GOP political establishment holds the view that even supporters of Ron Paul will in the end vote Republican for Romney because his rhetoric is more free-market and capitalist than Obama. Well, maybe … but we only have to look at the failed George Bush regime to see how little that really means when we consider two failed wars, the market and real estate crash, the falling dollar and the bank and Wall Street bailouts. I suggest that very few of us Ron Paul supporters will vote for Romney because we agree with Justin Raimondo – the GOP establishment needs to be taught a lesson.

They do need to be taught a lesson but if we leave the GOP and go the third-party route and Romney and the Republican candidates lose, then we will forgo any chance to take over the GOP or for longer-term political action within the party, thus wasting much of our internal organizational success to date. This will validate the GOP leadership smear that we aren't real Republicans and the growing power of freedom forces inside the party will be eliminated.

Will Ron Paulers Vote for Romney?

A young woman made the best case I've seen or read for Ron Paul supporters on Facebook several days ago. Quoting her from the YouTube video below made me realize how much the Ron Paul Campaign has accomplished so far in this election cycle. I urge you to watch and listen to her reply to a neocon friend who suggested, "A vote not cast for Romney is a vote for Obama." Therefore we should vote for Romney.

Here is her statement below:

We are not afraid to lose if losing means our integrity and principles remain with us. Our numbers have tripled in this election and we have already won. We have spread the message of individual liberty far and wide. Ron Paul has inspired the liberty movement in Africa, in Europe, even in Korea. Only a third of American colonists believed that the Revolutionary War was necessary and they changed the course of history forever. It is our turn now to do the same. An election outcome will not change that. We are willing to lay down our lives for the cause of liberty if it is required of us and it may be. I welcome losing if the winning team is not supporting the principles this country was founded on. But I will not go as a lamb to the slaughter and vote for someone who my heart, my gut and my reason tell me are not right for this country. Like Patrick Henry said, "I know not what course others will take but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

This young women speaks for millions of us who will not vote for Mitt Romney in 2012 unless he unilaterally guarantees us he will advance our freedom agenda. He can do this by naming Rand Paul as his VP running mate and promising a Ron Paul cabinet appointment, followed by campaign pledges for real action on the Fed audit and requiring a declaration of war for future foreign military actions.

We live in a one-party state and we have a chance to take over and redirect the GOP in coming years. Otherwise, all the work Ron Paul and his freedom supporters have done will be lost in a third-party effort. That may provide us satisfaction, and this is what the GOP elites need, but it is a very shortsighted view of how we may still save these United States and the patriot dreams of our founding fathers.

I prefer watching the upcoming "Hunger Games" movies as pure entertainment instead of what will be a sad dystopian future for the United States. I hope we all hang together and keep our powder dry until after the GOP convention, and wait for Ron Paul to address us, hopefully after Romney has responded favorably to the requirements of the Ron Paul Campaign and us his supporters. Then each of us can make our own election year choices.

Conclusion

Mitt, we know you want very much to be President of the United States. I believe you will need to name an evangelical or mainline Christian as your running mate to have a chance to win a sizeable enough evangelical vote majority to have a chance to win the November election.

While the prejudice against Mormons is unfortunate it does exist, due in part to some strange (to non-members) LDS Church beliefs and practices combined with a lifetime of mostly negative evangelical preaching against the Church. This prejudice will negatively impact your votes, especially in the South, during the November election.

Second, you will also need the 10 to 15 percent of the electorate who consider themselves Ron Paul supporters and we will likely stay at home unless you nominate a Ron Paul free-market thinker to the ticket. The standard conservative neocons like Gingrich, Santorum and other former candidates in the primary will not meet our litmus test. Your first choice should be Ron or Rand Paul but others could include Tom Woods, Judge Napolitano and maybe a few others.

This is your decision to make but you will be defeated if you do not bring both Ron Paul supporters and conservative Christians into your campaign and address our major concerns. Speaking as a Ron Paul supporter, my first editorial after the election, should you not follow this friendly advice and you lose, will be titled, "Mitt, We Told You So."