*cross-posted at United Liberty
So today is inauguaration day. For many in this country it is a grand
and glorious day, but for many it is a stark reminder of the failures
of the GOP establishment and the Romney campaign. If ever there was a
presidential election that should have been won by the non-incumbent
party, this was it. So what happened?
For starters, a weak
candidate who ran a very weak campaign is usually a recipe for disaster.
But more than that, I think the biggest failure was the refusal of the
GOP establishment to to even tolerate, much less embrace, the liberty
wing of the party. You can call this wing the “crazy Ron Paul people”
or, as a lady in my county said, “these libertarians trying to take over
our party.” This behavior was found at all levels - precinct,
county, district, state, and national. A real shame considering that
this was the one wing of the party that could have actually GOTV and
created some excitement. But the GOP antics in Tampa made sure that wouldn’t happen.
What
were they thinking? In such an electric and polarized environment,
you’ve got to be inclusive as possible, not completely exclusive. It’s
as if many GOPers had a death wish - making all of the wrong decisions
at every, single turn. But…that’s all in the past - water under the
bridge.
So where do we go from here? That depends on what you
believe and what you think is truly helpful to the liberty movement. We
all have our opinions on that. A method that I learned from my real
estate days is the wall method. Throw it all against the wall and see
what sticks, also known as the kitchen sink method.
Here in
Georgia, where I reside, a large number of us are continuing the
grassroots groups we started last year to try to secure the GOP
nomination for Ron Paul. This year, instead of Georgia for Ron Paul, we
are Georgia for Liberty - a totally organic, grassroots organization; we
are not affiliated with any national group. However, many of us,
individually or in groups, are associated either with Campaign for Liberty or the RLC,
both of which are great organizations. We continue to try to make
inroads in the GOP and help reshape the party in the liberty image. This
is occurring all over the country as well.
Also, more and more people are looking at organizations that work to win the battle of ideas to shape policy. Obviously, the Cato Institute is great example of this. Also, advocacy or activism groups are a great outlet for many people. FreedomWorks is prime example of this. And as important as any other group, the Institute for Justice
is fighting the good fight of liberty on the judicial front. All of
these organizations are doing their part and are all worthy causes.
And even though I am now in the GOP Liberty movement, I also remain a believer in the ability of well-organized state parties of the Libertarian Party to be an effective tool for Liberty. Here in Georgia, there's a really good one . Although I am no longer a member of that organization, I think the world of what they're doing and it is, in my estimation, a good investment if don't want to give to your local or state GOP. I wouldn't, however, give a dime to the RNC.**
So, the broad-spectrum, throw-it-at-the-wall, kitchen sink method - do it all. Why not? Let’s see what sticks…
**special to the East Metro blog, not included in the UL write-up
