Robert Mogni of the Virginia Advocate says he’s not a Ron Paul fanatic. Even so, he was moved by Ron Paul’s farewell address and says that the Republican Party would be wise to remember his message.

In short, a little more libertarianism wouldn’t hurt the GOP.

Ron Paul and the GOP

Sometimes I have forgotten that Ron Paul was really up there on the Hill, tearing into Washington’s blatant disregard for its own constitution. The realization that time and time again, Dr. Paul stood up in front of 434 utterly detestable human beings, preached the gospel of liberty, and eviscerated any remainder of dignity that these Congressmen claimed to hold touched me once more when I tuned into his Farewell Address.

The speech was roughly forty minutes long. Any members of the House who were not pre-emptively rolling their eyes would no doubt find their excuse to do so soon enough. Ron Paul was, no doubt, aware of their hostility. “How much did I accomplish? In many ways . . . my off-and-on career in Congress . . . accomplished very little. No named legislation, no named federal buildings or highways—thank goodness.” Sorrowfully, Dr. Paul knew well that his fundamental belief in liberty was never well received; nevertheless, he refused to drop his conviction that the Revolution will never die.

For the thousands—perhaps millions—of Americans who bitterly embraced pragmatism and voted Romney, take heart in the election results. This was not so much an Obama victory than a popular mandate ordering the GOP to cut the crap and rebuild from the ground up. Luckily, the only avenue to party functionality is to adopt a platform more consistent with some form of publically acceptable libertarianism.

There is a reason why Reagan achieved two of the greatest electoral landslides in United States history appealing to the common man’s faith in our founding principles. Note that it was Reagan who achieved these victories and not the Republican Party: Democrats consistently stuck it out in the Senate and controlled the House throughout his eight year administration, adding validity to the claim that the GOP has some serious ideological problems as a whole.

To be honest, I am not a Ron Paul fanatic. Conservatives and I have common apprehensions about some of his rhetoric. As I have also implied, I am skeptical about some arrangements of libertarianism too. Nevertheless, it is all based on the same value of how government ought to be during the undeniable crisis irresponsibility—whether it concerns entitlements, the military, whatever. Ron Paul was the only principled man on the Hill who offered a vision for normalcy, whether or not you agree with his policies. If the GOP has any remaining brain cells, they would do well to heed his final words.