Arnold Kling, who yesterday recommended that thoughtful Libertarians abandon Ron Paul, begins this post with a provisional definiition of a cult:
For now, let’s say that you are in a cult if you have a set of beliefs where your emotional defense mechanisms have shut down any receptivity to what others would consider reasonable doubt.
And he goes on to suggest that the oft-demonstrated refusal of Dr. No’s disciples to accept any inconvenient fact, no matter how well documented, qualifies them as Kool-Aid drinkers:
I do not know Ron Paul. He may be wise. He may be decent. But to dismiss all doubts about his judgment and his character would be to succumb to a cult.
Then, he inflicts the unkindest cut of all by comparing the Paulbearers to supporters of establishment candidates like Hillary Clinton:
Let me hasten to add that I do not think of the Paul cult as unique. I am equally loathe to join the Clinton cult, the Obama cult, the Guiliani cult…you name it.
Ouch!
UPDATE:
It would appear that the good doctor’s willingness to say irresponsible things about foreign policy is still enough to blind some observers to his essential nuttiness. Andrew Sullivan, in an otherwise sensible post about the latest Republican Debate, makes the following assertion:
And, yes, thank God for Ron Paul … He doesn’t just believe in libertarianism; he lives it.
Sullivan evidently hasn’t done his homework on this. Ron Paul has not only voted for heavy-handed government intervention in the health care market, his snout is buried deep in the earmark trough.
Comments 6
“Ouch!”
Ouch is right: Is that your broken logic or his?
Posted 09 Jan 2008 at 10:33 pm ¶Indeed Ron Paul has dropped the ball on this one. I look around for the other “libertarian” candidate….. …oh well, back to Ron Paul.
Posted 11 Jan 2008 at 11:11 am ¶As a RP cultist, I have to agree with you about the wisdom (or lack thereof) in those particular medical votes. Dr. Paul has made similar mistakes on other subjects as well, including a few votes regarding marriage law and abortion. That being said, the fact remains: Congressman Ron Paul of Texas is, quite simply, the most reliably libertarian candidate for President to run as a Republican in my lifetime, and that includes Reagan. John “100 years of occupation and curtailing political speech” McCain doesn’t even come close.
BTW, if consistent unqualified and uncritical love of a candidate makes one a cultist, what do you call consistent unqualified un-charitable hatred?
Posted 11 Jan 2008 at 12:41 pm ¶“heavy-handed government intervention in the health care market”…??? A pathetic accusation at best. This is a reference to ONE VOTE that you have misrepresented.
Ron wasn’t voting for socialized health care; he wasn’t voting to spend trillions of taxpayer dollars and go into massive debt to support the elite’s mercantilistic aims; he simply voted yes to the idea that the purchaser (which just so happens to be the government) should bargain with the seller for fair prices, just as any other health insurance company would be expected to do. It wasn’t Paul who decided that the government should foray into the health insurance industry, but since it already has, it should at least function efficiently as such.
I am a doctor, MBA, and mother of two.
Posted 11 Jan 2008 at 3:55 pm ¶Perhaps you should research cults and new religious movements before you make such comparisons.
The other Presidential campaigns are more cult-like because they are based on personalities. That is the dangerous phenonmenon. Liking Huckabee because he speaks well is frightenly ignorant.
If you say we are a cult who believes in the Constitution or limited government, than I guess we had good cult members like Thomas Jefferson et al.
If you are questioning Ron Paul integrity, or questioning the rationality of Ron Paul supporters because we don’t question his integrity, well perhaps you should know Dr. Paul has been married to the same woman for 50 years, three of his children are doctors, his brothers are ministers, he moderately drinks wine, he’s never even seen someone smoke marijuana let alone had done any drugs, he served as a flight surgeon in the Air Force, he was one of the first delegates to support Ronald Reagan and he was favorably spoken of by Reagan, Milton Friemdan and a host of others.
Posted 11 Jan 2008 at 5:35 pm ¶You can say what you want about Ron Paul, Thank God for freedom of speach and the rest of the constitution.You most likely will lose that freedom within the next 5 years regardless of the winner, republican or democrat since it won’t be Ron Paul
Posted 14 Feb 2008 at 6:06 pm ¶Post a Comment