If a presidential election were held last night on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans, the winner would not have been the 48 year old occupant of the White House, but a spry 74 year old physician from Texas.

U..S. Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) enthralled a huge crowd of supporters and students with a one hour address on topics ranging from the war in Afghanistan to the Federal Reserve. The crowd was so large that the university set up five overflow rooms to accommodate the intense interest in Dr. Paul’s message.

It was amazing to see such an enthusiastic reception for Paul’s message of limited government, freedom and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. The event was mostly promoted on the Internet and, as usual, the mainstream media was nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, more and more people are learning about Ron Paul and they agree with his message.

Last night, Paul warned that the U.S. foreign policy was creating enemies for this country around the world. He noted that as innocent civilians are killed in war, Muslim families with “long memories” will spend the rest of their lives seeking vengeance against Americans. Paul said that the “easiest place to cut” the federal budget is the defense department and that the U.S. should bring home our troops from not only the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also countries such as South Korea, Japan and Germany.

In keeping with his staunch libertarian principles, Paul advocated an end to selective service and the draft and the war on drugs. He called for an end to all foreign aid and said that if people wanted to help the poor in other countries, they should give handsome donations. Such generosity will be made easier if Paul is successful in eliminating the federal income tax. 

The Congressman is delighted with the tea parties and the town hall meetings and the “anger being directed at Washington D.C.” He said that the Congress should “get government off of our backs and out of our lives” and allow individuals to “keep the fruits of their labor.” He said that the government has expanded beyond the “restraints of the Constitution” and there is no constitutional right to medical care, education or free meals.

In Paul’s view, the real problem is the continual devaluing of the U..S. dollar and the resulting inflation which hits the poor and the middle class the worst. Paul noted that it is ironic that our former communist enemies are now our bankers. If the dollar continues to lose its value, the Congressman believes that the result will be higher interest rates and rampant inflation. He said that the only way to improve the value of the dollar is “to restrain the printing press.”

While the Obama administration may be “brainwashing themselves” that their policies are working, Paul believes that a correction is inevitable. There will be “tough days ahead” to correct for the “extravagance of the past.” As more people become upset and disillusioned with their government, Paul sees the possibility for a “de facto nullification” in which people ignore our government and just “walk away.”

Even though he sounded the alarm about our problems, Paul is optimistic because the new generation has “a different attitude about government.” He also noted that the rise of the Internet allows for people to learn about these issues, study the documents of the Founding Fathers and become aware of what is going on in our government.

Overall, Paul believes that the country is headed for perilous times unless more Americans “wake up.” Yet, due to Ron Paul and other critics of the Obama administration, the American public is finally waking up and attempting to take back control of their government. While the stakes are very high and the problems quite immense, it is at least encouraging that a greater number of Americans are aware of what is happening with their government.

Progress is also gradually occurring in Washington D.C. Dr. Paul noted that there is increased support for his bill to audit the Federal Reserve. Paul has over 280 co-sponsors for the legislation, all Republicans and over 100 Democrats in the House.

If the crowd in Loyola University is any indication, the Ron Paul revolution is alive and well. Paul’s message strongly resonated with the audience, both students and adults. It followed months of unprecedented citizen activism at tea parties and town hall meetings throughout the country.

Dr. Ron Paul deserves a good deal of credit for this movement for he raised many of these issues during his 2008 presidential campaign. In fact, he predicted the financial crisis which has engulfed this country over the past year. While he was not able to wrest the GOP nomination from the favorite of party leaders, Paul attracted millions of supporters to his cause.  

Now Paul is even more credible and Americans are even more receptive to his pro-liberty message. The time might be right for Ron Paul to achieve mass appeal in this country. Certainly, he has as much appeal on the Loyola campus as any rock star.

Let’s hope America starts learning the words to the song this rock star is singing.

  Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com

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