The Ron Paul Revolution"" has hit Madison; at least that is what the graffiti on Bascom Hill says. With a surprising amount of support so far in the race - $5 million raised in the third quarter - Ron Paul's candidacy, and the subsequent revival of libertarian principles, shows the great rift emerging within the Republican Party.
Although this divide started in 1964 with Barry Goldwater's candidacy, it did not start to pick up speed until 1994 when Newt Gingrich helped Republicans take back Congress. At this time, the GOP's obsession with staying in power - the ""permanent majority"" as Tom DeLay would later call it - forced them to present a united front against the Democrats, which effectively silenced any dissent from within the party.
In response, Democrats adopted the same style of politics because they knew unification was the only way they could compete with the GOP candidates.
In an already polarized political climate, President Bush's election in 2000 made things even worse. The resulting united front for the Bush presidency forced the GOP leadership to move the party further away from its traditional values and toward the neoconservative wing, creating extreme policies and alienating more and more moderates.
After living through this shift for seven years, and with a Republican electorate that has remained largely the same, it is no wonder so many are dissatisfied with the GOP pool of candidates for 2008 - almost all of them, without fail, subscribe to Bush's neoconservative views of the world and wish to continue his disastrous policies.
Enter Ron Paul, who, surprisingly, represents a voice of reason within the Republican Party - a voice from the opposite extreme who can hopefully mend this enormous rift threatening to push the GOP into obscurity for years to come.
""Smaller government has been one of our rallying cries and in the past 10 years it's kind of been abandoned by a few of our key leaders,"" said Sol Grosskopf, a leading member of Students for Ron Paul at UW-Madison. ""Ron Paul is kind of the voice in the wilderness that is really organizing and fermenting the smaller government values and bringing it back to the forefront.""
Gone are the days of fiscal responsibility and states' rights. Instead we see ballooned spending, an increased budget deficit and federal policies - such as No Child Left Behind, the U.S.A. Patriot Act and the NSA wiretapping program - that trample on the constitution by moving power into the hands of fewer and fewer people in Washington.
Let's not kid ourselves, Ron Paul will not be the next president of the United States, and I do not support him. However, as an outsider, I do recognize the great value he brings to the Republican field by bringing these ""smaller government values"" to the forefront. Just as Democrats are fed up with the current president, so too are the moderate Republicans who the GOP have largely alienated by ignoring these values with the new style of neo-con governing.
The unusual amount of support for the libertarian Paul in this race shows that the GOP's base is on thin ice and the 2008 election could be the breaking point.
At the latest Republican primary debate, Mitt Romney showed how wide this rift in the GOP really is. In response to a question regarding whether he would seek congressional approval before taking action against Iran, Romney replied by saying he would talk to his lawyers.
Paul's reply showed the common sense that has been missing from the GOP leadership. ""This idea of going and talking to attorneys totally baffles me,"" he said. ""Why don't we just open up the Constitution and read it? You're not allowed to go to war without a declaration of war.""
Although Paul may still be extreme in some respects, he makes a very valid point, one that many moderate Republicans have shown they agree with by supporting him. Only by hearing these voices can the GOP bring itself back to the mainstream, which will allow Democrats and Republicans finally to have civil discussions and, perhaps, heal our polarized nation. However, the question remains: Is anyone listening?
Erik Opsal is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
