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Attention Rand Paul Libertarians: Now is Our Chance to Eradicate the RINOs

Senator Rand Paul R-KY, is politically smarter than his father was, and thus far has proven to be just as principled. If you have been watching Rand Paul amidst the recent scandals, then you might be able to tell that he sees the same thing that I see. Now is the time to purge the Republican Party, destroy the progressive ideology and restore our Republic, all in one swift move.

However, it will not be an easy task because the biggest obstacles will come from those who have an “R” next to their name, but there has been no time in the last 100 years of American politics when the political landscape has been more fertile for defenders of the Constitution.

Rich Lowry, in an opted in Politico, recently wrote that this was “The Rand Paul Moment” and I am particularly inclined to agree.

The federal government draws most of it abusive scandalous power from just two Progressive Era constitutional amendments – the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments. The Sixteenth Amendment is obvious, as it allows the federal government to tax citizens directly, and is the only stated purpose for the establishment of the IRS as we know it today.

The Seventeenth Amendment is a bit more obfuscated. Although sold to the public as a means to reduce cronyism and corruption, in reality, the result has been the complete opposite. In the almost 100 years since its ratification, Washington has steadily concentrated power and wealth through increased average Senate tenure.

Libertarian constitutional conservatives have long argued for measures that will return us to a constitutional republic, such as a flat tax and term limits. Naturally, big government progressives in both major parties have largely relied on the politics of division – race and class – to avoid a national dialogue over the dangers of big government.

However, the scandals have provided an opportunity to shine some light on these dangers, explain to Americans how big government negatively affects their personal lives, and restore that uniquely American belief that it is wise to always restrain and be skeptical of government.

In a June 18 survey, a whole 70% of Americans now believe that the order directing the IRS to target conservative groups came from Washington. Although the scandal involving the National Security Agency surveillance program, known as Prism, has dominated the news recently, concern about the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations is relentlessly inching up. Despite the “scandal a day” controversies engulfing progressives in Washington, the number of people following the IRS scandal in particular has actually increased in recent weeks.

The same Rasmussen survey found that 82% of American voters are now following the IRS targeting story, including 44% who are following the story “Very Closely.” The overall number of voters who are following is up from 74% just a month ago.

Earlier in the month of June, 56% of Americans viewed the Feds as a threat to individual liberty, and 57% believed that the data collected by the NSA will be used to target political opposition. But if we look at other polls as well, then we can see that these numbers are outdated, and mirror the results of the IRS survey, which clearly demonstrates that more Americans are paying attention and they do not like what they hear.

Much was made of the CNN/ORC poll, and justifiably so, which found Obama’s approval rating to have plummeted. However, that is just one poll, and we need to look inside all of the recent polling, in total, in order to discover where our opportunity lays.

Polling Data

Poll Date Sample Approve Disapprove Spread
RCP Average 6/9 – 6/20 45.6 49.1 -3.5
Rasmussen Reports 6/18 – 6/20 1500 LV 44 55 -11
Gallup 6/17 – 6/19 1500 A 47 45 +2
Reuters/Ipsos 6/14 – 6/18 1734 A 44 48 -4
The Economist/YouGov 6/15 – 6/17 684 RV 44 54 -10
Pew Research 6/12 – 6/16 1512 A 49 43 +6
CNN/Opinion Research 6/11 – 6/13 1014 A 45 54 -9
Time 6/10 – 6/11 805 A 48 44 +4
FOX News 6/9 – 6/11 1019 RV 44 50 -6

The President’s approval rating, universally, is suffering among millennial age voters. In the CNN/ORC poll alone, Obama’s approval has precipitated 17% from just one month ago. But what Karl Rove, and others in the GOP establishment  cannot understand, is that the Republican Party brand, as it stands today, is so vile that they will not be able to capitalize on this distrust of big government. The sad truth is that they are not fooling anyone, we all know that they are big government too.

The days of the “Grand Ole’ Party” are over, and they are the only ones who cannot see that the padlock is on the door at the boys country club. No more can we allow them to ride Ronald Reagan’s coattails every primary election, just to go on to get destroyed because the American people can see them as the fraud that they are. At the very least, the Democrats are for big government and they admit it, but the GOPretenders are just as guilty of cronyism as they are.

Libertarians candidates have a habit of telling “mainstream” Republicans that they are not true conservatives, and they are right.

Early polling clearly indicates that Rand Paul is the strongest challenge to who we already know will be the Democratic nominee – Hillary “What difference does it make?” Rodham Clinton. As a numbers guy, I completely reject the Bill Krystal version of voter outreach – pandering – and favor a liberty based message that resonates will all Americans.

It is not that I am not socially conservative, belief that most social-conservative positions are positive for society, but you cannot legislate virtue, morality and political prosperity. Political prosperity is nothing more than a byproduct, a reflection of how virtuous a people in the body politic live. Legislating these arenas has backfired, as it has led to nothing but an even more powerful federal government capable of turning the tables on us when our despotic enemies win favor in the public by appealing to the animal in us.

It is time to throw the GOP cronies out-of-town and restore the principles of the real Republican Party, one that looks more like the libertarian platform and appeals to millennial generation voters and other traditional voting blocs that Democrats rely upon to form their coalition. Libertarians and other true conservatives, understand that it is unAmerican to ignore, not compete, or wholly concede the vote of minority populations because they are the ones most in need of our message.

The GOP members of old – the hypocrites – have betrayed our nation and are terminally branded bigots. Are we going to let them take our Republic down with them? The fight within is and should be the easy fight. We cannot blow this politically perfect moment by defending the corporate welfare-wing of the Republican Party. They are a dead party, they just don’t know it yet.

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Share this article on Twitter adding – #Truth via @RichBaris – to the end of your tweet and receive a 15% discount code for Rich’s new book “Our Virtuous Republic”

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Richard D. Baris

Rich, the People's Pundit, is the Data Journalism Editor at PPD and Director of the PPD Election Projection Model. He is also the Director of Big Data Poll, and author of "Our Virtuous Republic: The Forgotten Clause in the American Social Contract."

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Richard D. Baris

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