Paul-mania.

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of people among the younger crowd who support Ron Paul for President 2008. I’m guessing they are conservatives who are moved more by free markets than “Moral Decay!” arguments, liberals who like his foreign-policy stance, and, of course, gold bugs.

I want to take a quick moment to note two things: (1) Ron Paul is energetic, charismatic, and is like a breath of fresh air among the Republican debates, and (2) he is batshit insane, and nobody should vote for him, especially those who consider themselves center-left.

I haven’t taken the time to develop argument (2), but thankfully we have the internet. Here’s a list of bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Paul in Congress. I’ve noted his supporters are really downplaying his militant pro-life stance. It reads almost like a farce. (Favorite: “A bill to make all Iranian Students in the United States ineligible for any form of federal aid.”)

For those center-right people (and those center-left still with us), I ask you to take the time to differentiate between (a) What you want him to accomplish and (b) what he can actually accomplish. He is not going to abolish the Federal Reserve. He isn’t. However he is going to make public statements that run counter to the Fed policy which will cause market turmoil like we haven’t seen. He’s going to gut the SEC further, which will make markets more turbulent, which is what will require more Fed activity.

Same across the board. Will he privatize Social Security? No. Will he make it even harder for a woman to get access to birth control? Yes. Will he pull troops out of Korea and dismantle the Pacific Fleet? Almost certainly not. Will he make fair access to education significantly more difficult? Yes. Will he disband the CIA? No. He will not. Will he radically cut foreign aid in all forms even more? Yes.

I believe he is quite sincere in what he wants to do; however what he’ll actually be capable of doing is probably not what is exciting people.