Nystrom's Statement on the Sarah Palin Endorsement of Rand Paul
Submitted by Michael Nystrom on Tue, 02/02/2010 - 11:23Since a picture is worth a thousand words:
Sarah Palin's endorsement is good news for Rand Paul, and it is good news for the Liberty movement.
Let me be the first to admit that I am a political neophyte. My real political education began about 3 years ago, when I started this website basically on a whim. Over these three years, I have often times felt like a rowboat lost at sea, as I think we all have.
The elder Paul has had over 30 years at this. He is a veteran who has seen nearly everything over the span of his career. Not only has he survived, but today he is thriving, and we are all closer to our goals as a result. It is because of Ron Paul that this movement is energized and growing exponentially. All of us are here because we trust and believe in Dr. Paul. Rand Paul trained at his father's knee. He has all of the accumulated wisdom and political experience of his father, which none of us can possibly claim to have.
I spoke with Ron Paul on the phone today about the recent brouhaha over the C4L Ken Buck ad, in which, sadly, I played a role. In that short 20 minute conversation, Dr. Paul gently explained to me some very important things that I did not consider due to my inexperience. I will share my education with you, as soon as I can organize & write it.
In the mean time, let me share a short snip of the conversation for you to think about:
Dr. Paul: Michael, how much do you know about that race in Colorado?
Me: Um....gulp.
Yes, Ron Paul told me that I was an idiot to my face, but he was kind enough to let me figure it out for myself (which still took some time).
I cannot say that the conversation was pleasant. I was getting an education, which often times is not pleasant. But Dr. Paul was kind, exceedingly kind, and that in itself was a lesson for me. The result of what I learned is this posting.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Ron, John Tate, and to the C4L for taking the harsh and defensive stance that I did. I did so without a full understanding of the paradigm in which we are working and what we are working towards. Together.
And now, let me reiterate: Palin's endorsement is good news for Rand Paul, and it is good news for the Liberty movement.
What we are experiencing now, with Rand and our entire movement, is our best opportunity, ever. Let's not squander it.
Let's see what's out there. ENGAGE, AND MAKE IT SO!
GO RAND!
When Riker's head went up I lost it
great post and nice video referrence.
If I knew you were a Trekkie I'd have sent you $50 instead of $25 -- hahahahaha.
Kidding
But I will hit you up next week for a nother $25.
Capt'n Nystrom.....Engage
*&^ Constitution --- Constitutional Rationality
Let me make it chrystal clear
To violate the non-interventionist plank to me is the gravest offense. But Rand can't educate everyone in Kentucky in the time allowed. Just because she is endorsing him doesn't mean he's endorsing her back.
A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.
-- Muhammad Ali
Rand is weak on non-intervention
In this CNN interview (@5:30 mark) Rand never mentions foreign policy as a priority and then praises Palin.
Sure, he is not endorsing Palin since she is not currently running for office but his statements do inevitably put a stamp of approval on Palin as a political figure, including her policies.
If he were strong on the issue he would make sure to promote non-intervention when praising Palin.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/05/tea.party.convention/
my take on Palin
I was initially suspicious and I know Palin is a neocon airhead, but this is a sign that they need the Tea Party more than we need them. Their preferred tactic is to ignore us. If Rand needs a pass on being associated with a neocon right now then I'll give it to him. If his principles in office change as a result than I'll be looking for the next candidate. All in all, I agree with previous comment that the acorn does not fall far from the tree.
She'll get him elected. Rand can certainly control the likes of Sarah Palin. Maybe she is actually smart enough now, after her thrashing in the media, to know how much she doesn't know and is sincerely reaching out. She knows the GOPers will use her like they do everyone else.
A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.
-- Muhammad Ali
You asked me a personal question
I gave you a personal answer.
Whats going on is what I would call "a giving up". Its actually about forgetting about baby steps. Its actually about not continuing an intellectual debate. Its not about arguing intellectually with people who have a brain capable of intellectual argument. What it is amounting to and becoming is "saying oh screw it, lets just get the momos on board and worry about the consequences later".
I thought this was about, in essence, getting the "Sarah Palins of the world" educated, not encouraged. This is not baby steps, this is not intellectual education, it is pandering to the weak minded.
As far as how long Ive been awake. Ive been awake or waking since I left Baghdad in '03. Ive been a visitor of the Daily Paul since its inception and only after a while did I feel like wrting anything here. So now you know.
Now, wheres the RP lesson? Wheres the logic? Where is the explanation. Im waiting. If theres merit to it. I will consider it. If its logical, I will think about it. If its the truth and holds all the values that this movement is (or once was) I will embrace it.
Im skeptical, and so far it smells like BS me.....
then speak to the strong minded
how is pandering to the weak minded necessarily inefficient or "bad" for accomplishing practical purposes? if you feel strongly about it, speak to the strong minded and convert their minds with your own methods. a very personal response indeed. personal=emotional. i fail to see how this helps the movement.
Don't get it. Anyone??
Hmmm...
I'm not understanding what the Palin endorsement (whether good or bad) of Rand Paul's race in Kentucky has to do with the Ken Buck race in Colorado. (???)
Anyone???
(sorry for reposting)
Obama = O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica
Haven't you learned?
That we start threads only to get into arguments.
By the way,
I'm the most "Paul" up in here!!!!
"Freedom Is A Road Seldom Traveled By The Multitude." - Frederick Douglass
Lacandy
I will explain if you like but it is a little long winded for posting here,Email if you like and I will fill you in.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
atruepatriot - click my name
and send it to me. My contact page is open.
Obama = O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica
on the outlook that the liberty movement
is turning increasingly political and less educational with political infighting almost every step of the way now, this is what i said under the rj harris' response to c4l debacle and it also seems to apply here, so i'll repost it since not as many had a chance to read rj's post.
the whole message of the liberty movement is to avoid collectivist action.. "we", "we". every candidate has its own approach and it should be pretty obvious this liberty movement started as an education tour, with one of its central core message being "diversity is strength". some individuals are working very hard to turn this into a political movement now, but the movement started as an education tour, and it will remain that way. a collectivist approach to get every candidate's every word and every vote in line isn't likely and education has a much better success chance than political armchair critique.
just like the tea party organizers who were interviewed by katie couric recently said, "tea parties are very diverse on some social issues and if someone ever tried to unify it, they will just fall apart. what unifies us is the economics." the message is quite similar here. there is no uniformity and the result of individuals of the liberty movement taking a more strict stance on the constitution is a result due to education, not blind loyalty or a pledge of allegiance. i've never pledged an allegiance with conspiracies and purist anarchist for one example.
if self-purist wish to speak their mind, everyone knows the first amendment. but your attempt to turn this into a uniform political movement will almost unquestionably fail if all the examples thus far have not made you realize. i don't have all day and eventually my goal is to work in cutting edge science and academics and use my investing knowledge to improve the society's standard of living, broadly speaking, you know, the things that are useful.
i suspect many share the desire to just live and contribute in a more fruitful manner other than armchair bickering on every stance and politics. if this is all the 3% purists live for and it serves their daily entertainment to have this go on forever, i must be glad i never took any pledge because i do wish to see something more worthwhile accomplished in my lifetime.
and i would advise you to keep political bickering off the front page and focus on what people don't already know, michael. it was the education that solidified a liberty movement but this isn't a personality fetish fest, and any attempt to turn this into a politically skewed effort is very likely to fail, or actually it absolutely will.
i am seeing a lot of missing names from those i used to read from when they educated the trolls in the forum with very informative posts, and i very seldom see philosophical comments anymore, and i haven't heard from many good posters in a while. many will begin to consider to look for other more informative places to go strictly based on bringing the latest news on policies and government intrusions and such, if they haven't already. it's time to reconsider where you want to go--education or politics. civil disagreement or coercive grandstanding.
Interesting, but...
How exactly is this post relevant to the topic thread? Are you claiming that by making the C4L thing a 'political issue' we are somehow being lax in our pursuit of education and the truth?
I don't get it.
"The casualty of partisanship is objectivity."
it's very relevant
this has been obviously brewing for a while from ron paul's alleged "compromise" by supporting texas incumbents to rand's comment on gitmo detainees, and now this. for anyone aware of recent political bickering back and forth within the movement it should be obvious the degree of outcry of this event is the result of several accumulated incidents. my point is what unifies a liberty movement should be the educational process and the unique trait of substantive discussions within when disagreement arises, similar to how the economic issue identifies and unifies the tea party movement.
resorting to emotional arguments and couple sarcastic one-liner to express discontent and just stop there as many have done over this incident only renders the conversations diminished in substance. perhaps individuals dissatisfied with candidates or an organization can also express their ideas and give examples of how their ideal candidates or organizations would function in a real world given all the practical circumstances.
according to many political incidents and trends that i have continued to follow closely after rp's 08 presidential bid ended, the outlook of the liberty movement turning continuously political with much energy and discussion spent on non-substantive and increasingly bitter debate and less and less spent on educating the mass similar to what was done during the audit the fed movement, i would say the political aspect of the movement is pretty limited at least given the current fashion it is being done. it would be most productive if the movement stayed as an educational one and allowed creative room for each individual candidate as long as they have substantive reasons and arguments and they have their case for a constitutionality argument, and that they understand the principles rather than spending most energy on trying to unify every candidate's every stance.
and the rest most trivial, completely non-constitutionally related incidents such as the ron paul letter regarding texas incumbents has nothing remotely close to any aspect of an educational movement and it's best just totally disregarded. if one even attempts to stretch the argument saying how liberty movement would require an immaculate icon to somehow stretch its uncompromising political strength, it's very much just that--a stretch and a waste of energy. it serves the country best if energy is spent organizing the next grassroot educational tour around the country on the next up important issue, rather than turning this into what is becoming increasingly like a political football spectacle that seems fitting for daily political entertainment but little else.
in regards to your question in attempt to link my post strictly to the c4l incident, since it is not an isolated event and the reactions have much to do with many brewing disagreements within the movement on many trivial incidents as i pointed above, i can't comment on this incident alone and what it means for the movement. to isolate this event and try to focus on just this incident is missing the whole picture which is really about where the movement is headed, and the scope of impact one can see from isolated events is quite limited. i do support transparency however, although it somewhat baffles me why people would donate so much money to a top down organization that to me was only a small organization to help ease some of the grassroots communication process and to help candidates with their schedules before this incident was known to me. i donated all money to grassroots candidate after rp's 08 run, and it's somewhat strange and amusing why people would focus so much energy on one single top-down organization that didn't seem to have much purpose since the beginning, not understand it and give so much money to it and raise unwarranted expectations, then in the end complain about it. anyway this is beside the point.
Very humble, very well worded, here is my problem with it
This is becoming a Ron Paul cult. We need to be a bottom up, grass roots organization. I don't care if the top is Dr. Paul himself, you are a voice that represented what was felt by the grassroots. He ought to have called you and asked for your input, and asked how to come to a meeting of minds. I may be alone in this, but I don't think so. If we are going to worship Ron Paul and hang on his every word as if it were divine... well, "we" are not.
I respect him, I think he started something big. Something bigger than he is. Something that has outgrown him, and frankly, is about to leave him behind. This must reach beyond politics to succeed, and it must have a foundation in honesty and openness.
I don't care who is running CFL, either. It is NOT being run by the people who came out of nowhere and made the RP08 phenomenon happen, they are not even being consulted. It is not about Tate, but about the way he became the leader, and the way he has managed to make CFL sound and look like just another PAC.
Well, I guess it is time for me to go back to the chickens for a while. Still no room for a liberty lover in the "liberty movement" apparently - RP sycophants only.
I actually got ripped a new one on facebook for liking another candidate better than RP. I mean, really! Don't we want a whole slate of candidates BETTER? Or is it sacrilege to consider anyone better?
Truth exists, and it deserves to be cherished.
A picture is worth 1000
A picture is worth 1000 words. The life example of Ron Paul is worth untold thousands of babblers trying to fit the movement into their own mold.
Ventura 2012
Ron delivered over 4,000 babies. Got compassion, eh!
Beauty of nature in his hands.
And never forget, “Humans, despite our artistic pretensions, our sophistication and many accomplishments, owe the fact of our existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”
On Thinking And Acting Too Hastily
It's a long road to where we're going. Don't let the little things pull it apart.
Happiness is found alone on a gravel road.
Excellent post
My sentiments exactly. I reserve judgment until Michael decides to post his synopsis of the RP conversation but I have very strong doubts. After all, one of the main reasons Paul has become so beloved is because of his unwillingness to compromise. If it is another 'well, we HAVE TO make concessions in order to get things done' type speech, I'll move forward in the liberty movement without the C4L.
Peace
"The casualty of partisanship is objectivity."
Well said Paul
The thing is, this all started over one statement about foreign military support,I am wondering if there is a factor we do not know.Could it be possible that sometimes a politician will say what the majority wants to hear to get elected?Actions speak louder than words and maybe these are just words.Do they know something we don't?It would not be the first time this has happened after all it is politics.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
Very true
Very true
"The casualty of partisanship is objectivity."
"one of the main reasons Paul has become so beloved is because
of his unwillingness to compromise."
That's not true.
He knows WHEN to compromise.
Ron Paul "Sign Wave Across the USA" -- November 5th!
I strongly disagree. You
I strongly disagree. You don't talk about eliminating most of the bureaucracy-heavy Departments in the federal government, getting rid of the Federal Reserve, call out the CIA and IRS for removal, and unfailingly follow the spirit of the Constitution because you are big on compromise.
I am not really sure where you are coming from/what you are talking about. I think anyone could come up with a few examples of compromise but I think the vast majority of Paul's career has been made by the exact opposite.
"The casualty of partisanship is objectivity."
Then we strongly agree to strongly disagree.
Since he is a "lone wolf" in DC, practically everything he does means working with cons, neo-cons, and liberals. Isn't that a compromise in and of itself?
Ron Paul "Sign Wave Across the USA" -- November 5th!
LoL
Very true, but that cannot be helped while being a sitting member of Congress. If you classify being colleagues with and voting alongside members of other ideologies and parties a compromise, I can offer no rebuttal. :)
"The casualty of partisanship is objectivity."
I second that motion. Excellent post!
Congratulations to the base and all of you who held the C4L feet to the fire; You made them withdraw a TV ad that seemed to endorse a neocon.
"it is good for the establishment to adopt liberty ideology, but it is not good for those who have already adopted liberty to fall to the feet of the establishment." ~ Annica2
Well Said, Michael
Your statement here should earn the respect of every sincere person who reads it. I agree - the exposure Sarah Palin brings to people who have never heard of Rand Paul is priceless. Remember, too, that Sarah wasn't too bad until the machine got a hold of her for that nomination. I remember a blog by Lew Rockwell lamenting that she was such a nice, genuine person and that the VP nomination would turn her into a neo-con. Well, it did, but no one ever said it was incurable. You've just demonstrated that people can change their minds. Well done!
Tom Mullen
author of A Return to Common Sense: Reawakening Liberty in the Inhabitants of Amer
Lessons
I think many in our liberty movement have learned some lessons over this situation. My hope is that people will be able to somehow remove themselves from black and white thinking and adjust their views to simply what the right thing to do is.
Sometimes when people look at situations they identify things as either bad or good - neo-con or non-neocon, liberty lover or non liberty lover, a great leader or fool with little in between. If they looked at it from a gradient scale of rightness and wrongness they would go a lot farther. Every decision can be unique in offering different levels of rightness or wrongness. Each action then, a variety of outcome.
True, there are ideals which we use as guides - certain integrity points that we don't violate. However, it is easy to group so many variables into two slots that it prevents some folks from being able to properly judge a situation and its final outcome.
Two valued logic, yes/no, black/white can prevent us from seeing possiblities and exploring options.
The things being created today are spearheads with real world outcomes and real world results.
We need to get over ourselves about how we are the true liberty lovers and the original this or the original that. All this self-important talk does no one any good. Let the philosophies sink into to other's mindset, even if they don't adopt the whole package at first.
In this way we will win.
C4L is NOT the liberty movement.... The liberty movement has mad
C4L is NOT the liberty movement.... The liberty movement has made the C4L... without people like the people at the DailyPaul there would be no Campaign for Liberty.
So Michael lets have one thing clear here... the base of the movement, those of us who have been here through out the years, are not going to go gaga over a person in the movement, or an organization.
If they squander the money of well meaning people like the DailyPaulers on neocons they will hear from us.
The C4L is not the liberty movement, WE ARE! And we will hold them accountable to every action, you may do as you wish.
Boris in Miami
"it is good for the establishment to adopt liberty ideology, but it is not good for those who have already adopted liberty to fall to the feet of the establishment." ~ Annica2
It is the "Art of the Possible" in Politics and Otherwise...
Sarah Palin must endorse Dr.Rand Paul to keep her image as a real conservative even though she is not. She has no knowledge to give for she is not versed, or steeped in Libertarian Economics, but her motives are purely for herself to succeed in the game of politics for her bosses who back her. She is in with the International Trade Cartel and part of it. We can take it to the bank if we keep the pressure on Dr.Rand Paul when he is elected. He is a chip off the old block and very personable to boot. More can be said about this, but do not throw the baby out with the wash water. Keep your eyes on the "gold" ring for which we fight. Liberty for all. Dr. Ron Ernest Paul is second to none in States craft. We must keep our eye on the ball and shoot straight to the bulls eye. To do otherwise is sinful. Let us apply the "Art of the Possible" in all that we attempt for our cause is just. Go with Him who set us free...-whzh-
He who sells what isn't his'n, buys it back, or goes to prison!!!...-whzh-
Why
is Sarah Palin's endorsement a good thing?
No one's convinced me yet. Maybe it will help Rand win the primary...if he needs help...but it will be used against him in the general election.
I maintain the right to say I want more transparency, less begging and unprofessional bungling from C4L.
With all due respect to everyone who is sincerely trying their best to win the fight for liberty.