Monday, November 26, 2007

A Welcome Political Development

A famous quote that is sometimes attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, but more often to Winston Churchill, says: “If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart.” “If you are not a conservative at 40, you have no brains.”

By that calculus, I guess I haven't grown up much. Reading this piece in the Washington Post on Sunday, I was reminded that Ron Paul was the first person I voted for when I was 18, in the 1988 election that ushered in the Bush Dynasty. I don't know how enamored I am of Ron Paul. I don't agree with everything he says, but I find him to be an honorable politician -- a rarity in Washington, those two words going together -- and moreover, I like what he stands for. At a time of enormous disconnect and disaffection in American politics, where everyone hates the powers that be but we seem unable to rid ourselves of a miserable choice between two nincompoops, I like the idea that libertarianism is catching.

Besides, it represents the rare time that I was actually ahead of a trend.

Also, Dave Barry likes it. So how bad can it be?

1 comment:

Jim said...

I am so utterly sick of this seemingly endless campaign, and knowing that it'll only intensify in the next 11 months is extraordinarily depressing. That being said, the presence of Paul in the discussion is the only silver lining thus far. Not that he'll win, but it's good to know that the libertarian movement is not completely moribund in this country.