On Wednesday, March 28, presidential candidate Ron Paul spoke in Ritchie Coliseum. When I heard of this event, I realized that we as students at this university had quite an opportunity – one that has not presented itself since President Barack Obama previously visited the campus.
Having a member of the U.S. Congress speak on the campus is a big deal, especially a well-known one such as Paul. He is also seeking the largest office in the land, the presidency, and that adds even more to his visit.
On April 3, Marylanders will be able to vote in the presidential primary. So here, we have an opportunity to not only become more educated voters but also to listen to a man that is more popular with our age group then any other candidate. It is often discussed by media pundits how Paul gets the youth vote.
It isn’t because he comes and speaks at campuses – it is because his message is something that is very appealing to young people and that message is liberty and freedom. And this message comes from the mouth of a man who has never once gone against his principles, something that is nearly nonexistent in modern politics.
Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have a great deal of things in common, but the main one is that their voting records vary greatly from their rhetoric. Santorum preaches often against big government, yet he voted for spending increases, raising of the debt ceiling five times, as well as nearly doubling the size of the Department of Education in a way that negatively affected many teachers. Meanwhile, Gingrich and Romney have been on both sides of nearly every issue – just pick one and see how they have changed their views. The Daily Show host Jon Stewart even created a unit of time known as a “Romney,” which is the amount of time it takes for Romney to change his mind on something.
Even Obama is not free from this flip-floppery. He often preached against the Patriot Act and promised to close the Prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (aka Gitmo), as well as ending torture. Since entering office, President Obama not only reinstated the Patriot Act but was one of its main supporters, and urged congress to sign it.
He also has failed to stop torture or close Gitmo. But he has even gone further signing such pieces of legislation as the National Defense Authorization Act, which allows for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without charge or trial as well as the use of the military for domestic policing despite both of these actions being prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
The point I am trying to make is not about politics or which candidate to support, but rather is a point about Paul. He is a rare breed in politics today, and should be praised for his consistency. But his consistency alone does not bring out young people in crowds – it’s his message. His message is different, his message is powerful and his message is convincing.
Brian Rothman is a sophomore marketing major. He can be reached at brothman@umd.edu.
