A Few Quick Thoughts on Ron Paul and the 'Non-Cons' - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
A Few Quick Thoughts on Ron Paul and the ‘Non-Cons’
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Jeffrey Lord has sounded the death knell for Ron Paul’s foreign policy perspective, and an effective end to so-called “non-conservatism.” While Mr. Lord admits that Paul’s most ardent supporters are unlikely to vanish, he suggests their numbers are effectively limited, and ultimately marginalized by his personal interpretation of authentic conservatism.

As a professional and a (hopefully) emerging academic in the field of international relations, I have some serious misgivings with respect to the degree to which Rep. Paul emphasizes America’s need to avoid foreign “entanglement.” However, I’m also bloody well exhausted of a Cold War paradigm that continues to shape presumptions about U.S. policy, and the seemingly insatiable need to rattle sabers from the comfort of our keyboards.

It would seem that Mr. Lord is either unwilling or unable to admit that I’m not alone. Many of my generation are similarly tired of this status quo. Although he dismissed the “non-cons” as a conservative aberration, Mr. Lord cannot ignore the fact that the vast majority of young caucus-goers support Ron Paul. Before dismissing Paul’s utter domination of the youth vote as anomalous, I would remind you that this is the same generation of young conservatives who have watched their friends, family and classmates blown to smithereens in the distant backwaters of the global stage — their sacrifice financed by untold treasure spent to reshape and refine the political infrastructure of foreign failures. They’re sick and tired of “business as usual” and their ardent support of Ron Paul is indicative of a genuine commitment to change.

In his farewell address to the nation, President Dwight D. Eisenhower famously warned his fellow Americans about the evolving danger of a “military industrial complex.” But he also implored his countrymen to meet the measure of an “alert and knowledgeable citizenry.” While the youth numbers suggest Mr. Lord’s celebration of the demise of “non-conservatism” is ephemeral, if not altogether premature, I’ll take it a step further. Paul’s supporters have not failed in their commitment to Eisenhower’s emphasis on those “peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.” I’d day that’s something to consider moving forward.

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