The Constitution Party is Scary: Why Did Ron Paul Support Them?
By Daniel Miessler on October 10th, 2008: Tagged as Politics
I was at a local political event recently and was approached by someone from the Constitution Party. I got the regular two-minute pitch, and was given some literature. I was unpleasantly surprised–especially since this is the party that Ron Paul just endorsed (shudder).
The party was exactly what I expected in most respects: getting back to the Constitution, stop sending money abroad, dislike of big government, etc., but their stance on religion (and how they think that stance should affect policy) was staggering to me. Here are a few examples.
First off, when the very first thing they have to say is…
The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States.
…you know you might have a problem. But it gets much, much worse.
Free Speech
We call on our local, state and federal governments to uphold our cherished First Amendment right to free speech by vigorously enforcing our laws against obscenity to maintain a degree of separation between that which is truly speech and that which only seeks to distort and destroy.
So they are all for freedom of speech, as long as it doesn’t “distort or destroy”. Oh, and they get to decide what does that. So, could an alternative perspective to an important issue (like abortion) be considered “distortion”? Yes, and that’s the problem.
While we believe in the responsibility of the individual and corporate entities to regulate themselves, we also believe that our collective representative body we call government plays a vital role in establishing and maintaining the highest level of decency in our community standards.
This, by the way, is taken from their Pornography section. OMFG. Government is going to keep us safe from indecency now? I bet Sarah Palin loves these guys.
Marriage and Family
The law of our Creator defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman. The marriage covenant is the foundation of the family, and the family is fundamental in the maintenance of a stable, healthy and prosperous social order. No government may legitimately authorize or define marriage or family relations contrary to what God has instituted.
Holy crap. That’s the standard–the conversation stops as soon as you recommend something that goes against God. Oh, by the way, we get to tell you what God wants. Neat, that.
Summary
This isn’t a Constitution party; this is a party based on building a Puritan-like theocracy with a focus on small government. At the core of the movement is the premise that the United States is, fundamentally, a deeply Christian country, and that our government needs to keep that in mind when handling social matters.
They basically think freedom of religion is the freedom of everyone to be good Christians like the Constitution said we should. If you doubt that, read the Preamble again.
This is seriously scary, and even more disturbing is the fact that Ron Paul supports this group. But looking back at Ron Paul’s flaws, which I’ve written about before and have always scared the crap out of me, this is precisely the type of outfit you’d expect him to get behind. Here’s what he said about the Founding Fathers and religion:
The Founding Fathers envisioned a robustly Christian yet religiously tolerant America, with churches serving as vital institutions that would eclipse the state in importance.
I think Ron Paul is genius when it comes to economic theory and foreign policy, and I agree with my friends that it’s great he’d promised to keep his religious feelings out of the government. But I don’t believe it would ever stay out–not for a second. Especially when he’s supporting a party that has the kind of language we see above.
When people think they know the will of the Creator of the Universe, and they think that creator is in charge of the country (“Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States”), bad things will follow.
And as much as I still respect Ron Paul, it is this type of extremism (along with denying evolution and wanting to overturn Roe v. Wade, etc.) that has always frightened me about him. His supporting of this so-called “Constitution” party has further emphasized his serious flaws in my mind, and I unfortunately see him now as highly flawed–but with some great Libertarian ideals–rather than a great candidate with a few flaws.
Bottom line–The Constitution Party is precisely the wrong way to go with America, and Ron Paul has, in my mind, exposed his own extreme weaknesses by giving them his support. Some may say, “Who cares about Ron Paul anymore?” I do. It disheartens me to find such serious flaws in someone I once revered. It just emphasizes a critical point: every choice–especially in politics–is about compromise. The question is simply one of priorities.:
Links
[ The Constitution Party Platform | constitutionparty.com ]
[ Ron Paul is Seriously Flawed as a Candidate: We're Just So In Love With Him That We Aren't Paying Attention | dmiessler.com ]
[ Ron Paul's Flaws as Seen by One Die-Hard Supporter | dmiessler.com ]