Invite Ron Paul to the Next Dem Debate

Here’s the way Rep. Ron Paul describes himself at his Congressional website:

Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency (link).

In case you hadn’t noticed, he is also a Republican candidate for president. Without knowing a huge amount about him, I tend to think he is a bit of a nutter: whenever anybody uses the phrase “commodity-backed currency,” I tend to start asking myself when we will break for lunch. But even if it is over the top, Paul’s kind of libertarianism persists because it appeals to some widely-held basic instincts: free choice, individual responsibility, getting the government out of your hair.

If you know about Paul at all, the chances are it is because he got his 15 minutes of fame during the Republican codpiece festival in South Carolina debate. The Economist explains:

During the debate Ron Paul, a feisty libertarian from Texas who stands no chance at all, suggested that Middle Eastern terrorists attacked America “because we've been over there; we've been bombing Iraq for ten years.” Mr Giuliani fired back: “That's an extraordinary statement...that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I've heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.” The conservative audience erupted in approval (link)

Now the Michigan Republican State Chairman wants to ban him from future Republican debates. He said:

[Paul’s] statement on why the terrorists attacked America is so out of the mainstream geo-political thought in the west and is increasingly becoming a distraction versus a supplement to the debate…(link)

Hm. If Paul is “out of the mainstream,” then so are Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberson or Dinesh D’Souza (link). So much for the big tent.

But let Republicans have that fight. I want to talk about the libertarian Paul. My point is that the snoopy big-spending authoritarian Republicans obviously have no use for this guy. So, invite him to the next Democratic debate. Of course he isn’t going to be their nominee any more than he is the Republicans'. But his ideas are far more likely to get a respectful hearing among Democrats than they are among the people who want to push him out. Indeed, as Bruce Bartlett (and others) have often pointed out, if you are looking for fealty to libertarian principles, you are more likely to find them in a Clinton (either one) Administration than with anything else on offer (link, link)

Welcome, Ron. We can install you in a safe house in Vermont, and we can probably even find a (private-sector) job for your wife, and good (private) schools for the kids.