Ron Paul says farewell, Elizabeth Warren says hello, Mitt Romney says drop dead

As I have written before, I very much regret that Rep. Ron Paul
(R-Texas) has decided to leave the Congress. I have always applauded his
campaign for openness at the Federal Reserve Board and his support for
bringing back Glass-Steagall (though I have strongly disagreed with his
Ayn Rand-inspired philosophy on other matters). Ron Paul always brings
integrity, honor, important ideas and good spirit to our political
discourse. I applaud especially the young people and vets who are
devoted to Paul. I wish him well and trust he will find new ways to
champion his causes.

As much as I regret the departure of Ron Paul, I am thrilled at the arrival of Elizabeth Warren to the Senate next year. I believe that Warren is the true heir to Theodore Roosevelt, in the same way I believe that Paul is the true heir to the early conservative populism of Barry Goldwater, which I intend as a compliment to both of them. I knew Barry Goldwater in his more libertarian-conservative phase in the 1970s and in his more libertarian-progressive phase into the 1990s and I always liked and admired Goldwater for the same reasons I like and admire Paul when I agree with him, and when I don’t.

{mosads}As for Mitt Romney, I could never figure out whether he was the Marie Antoinette wealthy elitist I wrote about during the campaign or the Charles Darwin wealthy elitist who endlessly panders, usually to the wrong people and factions. It turns out he is both.

Romney’s “gift” comments were as insulting, clumsy and trite as his “47 percent” comments. This time he insulted Hispanics, blacks and young people with the arrogant condescension of his Marie Antoinette wealthy elitism.

It is incredible that a man born into wealth and privilege who advised young people to get a loan from Mommy and Daddy insults young people who are being crushed by student loans.

I applaud Bobby Jindal for his honest, blunt and wise criticism for the same reasons I applauded Chris Christie for his statesmanship and stewardship of New Jersey during the hurricane crisis.

Let’s say farewell to the Ron Paul years in the House and hello to the Elizabeth Warren years in the Senate and wish both of them well.

Perhaps Paul and Warren can find some way to team up, on matters where they agree, to promote real change we can really believe in.