I had a debate with Matt Erickson on Lions of Liberty yesterday and the debate resolution was "Do we need another Ron Paul Revolution?" I argued in the affirmative. Predictably, Matt was kind of all over the place. I've copied my opening statement below and I'll be adding different sections of the debate and my thoughts on post libertarianism over the next week. There are about 15 pages of it so there will be plenty of posts from me over the next couple weeks.

About Ron Paul

There were 2 moments in Ron Paul’s career that reverberated across the country and shook me to the core. They are: the “What If” speech Dr. Paul delivered to congress in 2009, and his “Guiliani Moment” during the 2007 presidential debates.

Those statements Ron Paul made are moments in time that are permanently embedded in my psyche. Like countless other people, they rewired my brain in a radical way and woke me up to the evils of the state.

In spite of being sabotaged by the GOP, and hated by neocons and the mainstream media, the Ron Paul Revolution inspired a groundswell of liberty activism not seen in this country since its founding. Ron Paul woke up thousands and thousands of people to the message of liberty.

We were so moved by Ron, that some of us have toiled together for the cause of freedom for 10 or 14 years. And it’s been a real journey. There’ve been highs and there’ve been lows. And right now we’re in a low. (hodl) We’re in a low because of lockdowns and because so many people around us have ceded their personal freedom to the state - out of terror, anger or apathy.

Black Pilled

And there are people in libertarian circles who have given up hope.

They believe that people don’t want freedom and are happy to be slaves and snitches for the state so long as they’re fed and entertained.

There are people who believe that most Americans have bought into mainstream narratives about coronavirus and that people want to be locked up. They cite polls that say 70% of Americans approved of the lockdowns. They point to the state of our totalitarian government as evidence that the Ron Paul Revolution has failed and that we will never succeed in waking up the masses.

Well, I’ll ask you this:

Ron Paul Revolution’s Impact

How many people listening to this debate were touched by the Ron Paul movement? By one of his presidential races, or an event, by one of his speeches - like the Guiliani moment - or by one of his books? Maybe it was years after he ran - but you heard about him and watched one of his videos. You heard about the Mises Institute from him. You heard about Tom Woods. You heard about libertarianism. You questioned what you heard on the news.

How many of you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Ron Paul Revolution?

The Ron Paul Revolution planted the seeds of liberty in countless hearts & minds. It awakened the thirst for freedom we saw sweep across the country in 2008 and 2012. It inspired Students for Liberty, Young Americans for Liberty, the Mises Caucus and many of the liberty movement’s best messengers.

The Ron Paul Revolution didn't just reach out to libertarians - it united the anti-war left, anarchists, conservatives, hippies, and radicals of all kinds. Within 2 presidential cycles, it created an infrastructure of liberty activists that were able to spread the message of freedom and support liberty-minded congressmen like Justin Amash and Thomas Massie.

It was the first wave in a movement, and it pushed two radical (now obvious) ideas that 1) wars for empire are destructive and antithetical to liberty, and that 2) the Federal Reserve destroys the value of the dollar.

Revolution 2.0
And we are the second wave in the Revolution. And our rally cry is to oppose lockdowns and the war on COVID. We are the Ron Paul Revolution 2.0.

Most of us agree that Ron Paul was just too perfect of a person and a candidate. That we can never fill his shoes. None of us can be a country doctor who delivered thousands of babies in our congressional district. I don’t know if any of us alone can ever measure up to the standard that Ron Paul set.

That’s why it takes a team of us now.

Tom Woods, Dave Smith, Scott Horton, Maj Toure, Gene Epstein, Michael Boldin, Michael Heise…all of us, Marc & Brian, too.

Every single person I listed is like a general in the Ron Paul movement.

We are engaged in a great battle of ideas.

The forces of light and darkness in this country are clashing violently, and it is not in our best interests to retreat under cover of black-pilled darkness. Only light chases out darkness and it’s our duty to shine a light on this tyrannical hellscape and usher people towards freedom - not to hide our light under a bushel.

This is our purpose.

If you think all is lost - if you think the world as we know it is about to slip forever from our grasp - I counter you with the notion that the mainstream narratives are crumbling.

People are NOT all getting the vaccine - people are NOT all staying indoors - people are NOT all complying with mask mandates.

Viewership of mainstream news networks is at an all time low. Viewership for alt media that openly questions the COVID regime is at an all time high - and it is growing.

The world is ripe for the 2nd wave of the Ron Paul Revolution, and it will happen with or without you.

For those of you that think things look hopeless, that we’re in the blackest period of American History and that our freedoms are all but lost, I’ll counter you with this: we are witnessing the state fight it’s very hardest because it is on the verge of crumbling and now is the time to assemble the Ron Paul Revolution 2.0.

Why do we need a Ron Paul Revolution 2.0?

People are clamoring for a way out of tyranny and the propaganda nightmare. There is a very real demand for us.

“It’s happening” - the Ron Paul slogan sums it up perfectly: You can't stop an idea whose time has come.

And “It’s happening” with or without you. The question is do you have the vision and clarity to be a part of it?

The Ron Paul Revolution 2.0 IS happening. The question isn’t really whether or not we need it - the question is why would you try to stop it?