Ron Paul Says the Old Republican Party is Dead

“It will be just the beginning of the end” says Ron Paul, referring to the fate of Keynesianism, big government, and the old Republican Party.

On Friday, Dr. Paul released a video to his supporters, outlining his thoughts on his campaign, the upcoming GOP convention in Tampa, Florida, and the larger libertarian movement he has participated in and helped inspire.

First, he addressed the criticisms of his campaign by saying, “There are individuals who think the campaign was less than perfect.” Continuing, “Others think the campaign had achieved success far beyond anyone’s expectations.”

Noting the number of supporters who will be attending the convention (even within the ranks of supposedly “bound” Romney delegates), as well as the Ron Paul rally set to occur outside the convention place on August 26, Dr. Paul spoke optimistically about what his campaign has achieved, both in terms of this election cycle, and also within Republican party leadership as a whole.

He went on to compare the fight against establishment Republicans with the closing days of the Vietnam War: That although the United States had won all major battles, and possessed an incomparably advanced and well-funded arsenal, it was all but irrelevant in terms of the larger war. In this way, although Mitt Romney’s establishment Republicans won more states in the primary season, the war of ideas has spelled doom for the old guard, as a young and participatory class of libertarians has already begun its takeover of the GOP. Already, libertarians have ousted establishment Republicans in states such as Nevada, Alaska, and Iowa; and in some cases, forcing neoconservatives to form “shadow parties.”

Paul also paid his respect to the older generation of libertarians, “the remnant,” who had survived in the political wilderness following their expulsion from the GOP during the 1970’s. He said,

“The most important thing, I think, is the awakening of a whole new generation that’s excited about these views and are participating. And there’s no way it’s going to be stopped. Also, there’s been the awakening of the remnant who’s been sitting and waiting to see if there’s any support out there. The remnant, the older generation, who have been working on this for a long time and have held things together – not only are they awakening; it’s much larger than we ever dreamed of.”

Ron Paul went on to remind his supporters that, although the mainline GOP will not stick to the platform should his supporters influence it, they should nonetheless make themselves known, confront the neoconservatives, and defend themselves when the opposition seeks to bully them or commit acts of violence.

He also warned supporters of social conservatives, stating, “It’s true the Santorum people are principled, but they’re also authoritarians. They want to use the government to impose their will on us as individuals.”

Most importantly, Ron Paul stated, “What we’re in the middle of, right now, is the failure of Keynesianism; The failure of central banking; failure of fiat money; failure of authoritarianism.” He also predicted that America’s more dictatorial factions would seek to fill the vacuum left by Keynesianism’s collapse, and that it is the libertarian’s duty to prevent and reverse the spread of authoritarianism. Thankfully, the libertarian movement grows every day, and will overcome whatever obstacles are set before it, both through wit and sheer demographic change.

While the fight ahead will be tough, libertarians and all those who value freedom and the rights of individuals should remember the immortal words of Victor Hugo, as often quoted by Dr. Ron Paul:

“No army can stop an idea whose time has come.”