But that's totally fine. I disagree with him on a lot of things (Libertarianism makes me want to scream), but I think he's the truest to his ideals of anyone in the GOP field. His beliefs seem to come from somewhere genuine, and he doesn't make me want to gouge my own eyes out with a rusty spoon the way Cruz or Trump do. I, as a Sanders supporter, have had really deep, interesting, enlightening conversations with Paul supporters, and both of us have come away better for it in the end (I like to think). Compare that to the rare interaction I have with my "Trumpeter" uncle who just dismisses my opinion because I'm younger than him and I only like Sanders because I want free stuff, despite the fact that I'm well on my way to a computer science/geology double major (to be a gasp productive member of society) and he basically lives on his ex-wife's inheritance....fucking Christ he's such a sponge.
Anyway, I would love to see Paul and Sanders in the general. It would be a battle of ideologues, a clean break from the establishment and ultra-wealthy-class influence, and I think the end result would be a much clearer indicator of where the political center in this country truly is. Unfortunately, unless something catastrophic happens in the GOP primaries, Paul really doesn't stand a chance of getting there.
What I want to see is a GOP candidate with the same fire and passion and rejection of establishment politics of Sanders, a guy who stands for actual small government (none of this "no taxes + big government when it comes to things we don't like + Jesus = freedom" bullshit), proper free market economics (where the math actually works), only as much regulation as is necessary...basically an old-school conservative, but updated on social issues. Actually, fuck it, take social issues out of it. Make politics about policy again. Fuck. I'm so sick of the pandering (on both sides) around abortion and marriage equality and reproductive rights and shit...let society sort that out. Let the courts and the people handle these things, and let the politicians worry about budgets and foreign relations and healthcare.
This turned into a wall of text, and it veered way off course, but I'm just so fucking fed up with all the bullshit. All the democratic spinelessness and shameless pandering to the least difficult, lowest common denominator issues, and all the republican...uhg. Just...the complete rejection of basic decency or lack of any appeal to intelligence. Everything has to be Jesus and guns, or baby pandas and everyone and their dog's poor, innocent feelings.
Fuck's sake. We're a lot smarter than that. Give us some fucking credit and talk to us like we know something.
Which is why I like Sanders and Paul. You can disagree with their politics, but at least they treat their audiences like intelligent human beings instead of whimpering kittens.