Why Ron Paul > Newt Gingrich, and More Thoughts on the Revolution

Newt is a status-quo candidate. Newt is a slog-it-out candidate with an uninspiring message. Newt communicates fear rather than thought. Newt talks the talk the median GOP voter wants to hear. Newt does not profess; he calculates and thinks quantitatively. Newt shamelessly panders. He has barely a shred of political and personal decency left. Newt as nominee is another episode of the same phony soap opera.

We have come to expect our presidential candidates to be full of (sh)it. We know they pander to what we want to hear; always walking a tight line between the median voter, careful not to deviate too far from the status quo.

Ron Paul is the antithesis of the status quo. He is consistent and has been fighting for his beliefs since 1976, when he first was elected to Congress. He is not wishy-washy. Ron Paul is a momentum candidate with inspiring, new messages. Paul does not make you fear, he makes you think. Paul is a paradigm shift. Ron Paul professes, he does not calculate. Paul thinks qualitatively. Paul walks the walk, even when it’s not the “cool thing to do”. Paul is humble and a gentleman. Ron Paul is an indisputable change from the status quo.

Yet it’s widely acknowledged people don’t like change. We shy away from what is perceived as different. We are infamously intolerant. We prefer to be boxed into the viewpoint we know, rather than explore a viewpoint we don’t. We don’t bother to evaluate the opportunity costs and externalities of our viewpoints. Given this, it’s no surprise Paul is ridiculed for not delivering a politically safer message; a message more in line with the status quo. But that doesn’t mean Paul is wrong.

Many people think Paul is right. Like Ron Paul, his supporters do not flip-flop. Ron Paul’s supporters do not care about the stigma and intolerance associated with challenging the status quo. Paul’s followers are just as genuine about him as Paul is for his message. The more support Paul picks up, the more “cool” his messages becomes, and the more momentum he picks up. Paul is viral.

The status quo is a drug and we are addicts. When you think about Paul’s explanations for his positions, our drug loses its appeal. It’s only a matter of time before people vote for rehab.