<![CDATA[The Unconventional Rhythm

By Calvary Dominique

I still remember the Presidential race of 2012 like it were yesterday.

There I stood as a young conservative, looking at a rather uninspiring cast of candidates. Yes, I knew, (as Mitch McConnell, the King of the RINOs himself, put it succinctly), “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for Obama to be a one-term President.” I couldn’t agree with this more. It was a no brainer!

Clearly, any of the candidates, whether Romney, Gingrich, Perry, or even Herman Cain, would be infinitely better than the sitting President! We needed to take our country back! Republicans had to unite to take Obama down!

We couldn’t afford four more years! There was just one problem.

All the candidates were terrible!

I mean, sure, some candidates seemed okay at first, I guess.

I mean, when Rick Perry, a successful, well-respected governor of Texas, first entered the Presidential race, I thought he was pretty cool!

I didn’t know that much about his specific policy proposals in comparison with the other candidates, but he seemed like he had the potential to revive our nation! He was Reagan-esque, inspiring, and he certainly looked Presidential.

And despite his infamous “Oops moment” and several other well-documented gaffes (which ultimately sunk his campaign), he wasn’t even that bad of a debater, really. There was just something... missing. I couldn’t even put my finger on it.

Then there was Herman Cain, who I never got the appeal of, nor did I ever really take seriously. His 9-9-9 Plan, perfect fodder for SNL, seemed to be the only policy he knew how to talk about, and I read several articles from reputable economic sources that thoroughly tore it apart. But he was the frontrunner at one point, and because I was a loyal Republican at the time, I would have been able to support him.

AGAINST OBAMA, AFTER ALL!

“We couldn’t afford four more years!”

But there was nothing about him that made him a particularly inspiring or compelling candidate. Or even an okay one. During the 2012 election I remember following the ebbs and flows of what can be called “the anybody-but-Romney race,” watching as candidates like Bachmann, Santorum, Cain, and Gingrich all became flavors of the month (or of the week) only to collapse swiftly to the ground.

As a wide-eyed twelve-year-old boy, I liked the idea of a so-called “conservative challenger to Romney,” and I had seen enough videos documenting his problematic, seemingly politically expedient flip-flops to know why he shouldn’t be our nominee.

But I began to realize that Santorum, despite personally appreciating his faith, was way too obsessively socially conservative, Gingrich, despite generally liking his style and many of his policy proposals at the time, seemed to have way too much baggage in his past, and Bachman... well, just no. I don’t even have to explain.

The GOP ended up settling for Romney, and I was ultimately fine with that, despite Romney’s many (ultimately fatal) weaknesses and flip-flops.

Because it made sense. It was safe.

I had no personal investment in any of the candidates, only in defeating Obama! And it’s not like the other options were much better.

So whatever. Except that’s not the full story.

If you have a keen eye, you probably noticed that I conspicuously left one significant candidate from the 2012 race off my recollection of events. You know, the one who came in a strong third-place finish in the Iowa Caucus? A certain ideologically consistent, fearless, principled twelve-term congressman from Texas?

Well, there’s a reason for that. Because that’s what they told me to do.

They tried to write Ron Paul off as “other,” as “radical,” as “kooky,” as “isolationist,” as a “crazy old man.” Because apparently, not wanting to invade every country on Earth makes you a nutjob these days. But the media tried their absolute hardest to make him seem like he wasn’t even a viable candidate. They blacked out his name, kept him off of their polls, and all around mocked him, painting him as insane. But they couldn’t stop young people like me from paying attention.

I’ll never forget this one day at the soup bar of my old school’s dining hall.

This was such a pivotal moment in my political development.

I was talking with one of my friends from the grade below me, and knowing that I was into politics too, he asked me which candidate I was supporting. I think I may have been leaning toward Perry or Gingrich at that point, so that’s what I said. He seemed genuinely flabbergasted that this was something I could even be considering.

Before I could explain myself, he exclaimed, “Ron Paul all the way!!!!”

“RON PAUL?!?!” I asked incredulously. But I knew why.

Ron Paul was the real deal, not some flip-flopping, lying politician.

He had the youth vote on lock for a reason (the same reason Bernie Sanders is currently doing well with young people). He spoke not just from the heart, but from the soul. He was a principled, authentic conservative who challenged the System as we knew it. He never backed down from his convictions, no matter who called him crazy for it. I knew he meant what he said. This did not go unnoticed.

But despite this, I couldn’t bring myself to support him for the nomination, and I hated myself for it. “His foreign policy is too “liberal,” don’t let yourself be brainwashed,” I told myself. But even I didn’t really believe what I was saying.

While my evolution from neoconservatism by default to libertarianism by conviction didn’t happen overnight, that soup bar conversation certainly planted a seed. Though I didn’t agree with everything he said, I slowly realized that Ron Paul was making a lot of sense. Questions like, “Why did we need to be the policeman of the world?” and “Why did we need to give up our liberty for a false sense of security?” were my soul-searching questions. And no one was giving me logical answers.

Flash forward to the Presidential Race of 2016.

If you’ve been following our blog or if you know me in person, it’s pretty much impossible that you didn’t know I was #StandingWithRand since the very beginning, actually since long before campaign season officially started.

And we at The Unconventional Rhythm officially endorsed Rand Paul for President several months ago. I devoted pretty much my entire Twitter and so much of my time and energy the past year to making Rand Paul the 45th President of the United States, and yes, I heard the news.

And no, I haven’t recovered yet. It takes quite some time to recover from a breakup. I wish I could say that upon hearing the news on Wednesday, I cried, but the truth is, that is not the case. It was weird. I felt a mixture of emotions. I felt cold.

I felt frozen. I felt politically lost. I felt like I was cast off spinning into outer space. It was sobering, but surprising it was not, for I knew the train of inevitability would sadly reach its destination at some point. I wish I could say I was heartbroken, but my heart had already been broken.

My heart was already broken because I’ve watched as Donald Trump has co-opted my party, rendering it almost unrecognizable yet sadly recognizable at the same time. By that I mean, just I was starting to get excited about being a conservative, just as I was starting to believe that the future of the Republican Party could be one of creativity, inspiration, and fiscal responsibility, I was suddenly brought back to a world of disenchantment.

Is the world I was brought back to reality? Perhaps.

But I like living in a world where dreamers can thrive, where visionaries succeed, and where being a maverick is rewarded.

But sadly being a libertarian-leaning conservative in this current environment is like being the one sober person in a burning room full of chaotic binge drinkers who don’t realize their foolishness and, despite being heavily intoxicated to the point of death, will attempt to drive a car afterwards. While smiling at you.

In this case, the “passengers” are American citizens, who are seeing their basic Constitutional freedoms (especially the 4th Amendment) being trampled on as debt is rapidly added on and both parties contribute to our lack of progress.

There is so much to be disenchanted by in Washington today and in our country, and that’s why Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, and to a certain extent Donald Trump are becoming more and more popular by the day as “traditional candidates” like Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton are struggling. Because it is time for a new way.

Unfortunately, Bernie Sanders is a democratic socialist, and though in my view he has much to offer, his economic policies are quite destructive.

And the Donald is… well, the Donald.

In an essay I wrote at the end of 8th grade about JFK, my second favorite President of modern history after Reagan, I put it this way: “Will there be another Kennedy to speak into these unique times called the 21st century? Will there be a charismatic leader who will not just promise change, but who will deliver on these promises, if not in his actual Presidency but in the future? Much of politics in this country today is actually about looking for that Kennedy-like figure, wondering where he (or she) is to be found. But as Kennedy would have said, America is looking in all the wrong places. Changing the country has never been up to the government; it can only do so much. Changing the country has always been up to the people- “We the People.” As long as “Camelot” still lives on in the hearts and minds of the American people, as long as that flame is still burning, the possibilities are limitless. But if that flame dies, what do we have left?”

So with the exit of a man who was, for good reason, once dubbed, “The Most Interesting Man in Politics” for his unconventional, uncanny ability to reject and subvert the pettiness of partisan politics, the silliness of towing the party line, and the corruption of the Washington Machine, there goes my heart from these Republican primaries. I’ll likely end up supporting the nominee, but not before then. Perhaps I’ll change my mind, but I don’t think so.

To quote an article I read, “What does [Paul’s exit] mean for me now? I don’t know yet. Please refrain from asking me who I am going to vote for now. I’m not politically promiscuous, and I’m not just handing out endorsements like candy.” There are too many significant weaknesses with each candidate, and none of them (not even Cruz) consistently stands for liberty. It appears that this is down to a three-man race between Trump, Cruz, and Rubio, and my prediction is that Trump will get the nomination, though politics in this country is notoriously unpredictable.

So who knows.

BUT I’ve had time to think, and I’m actually optimistic about the future. If the Republicans win, I’m hopeful that the growing liberty movement in the Republican party (with Paul, a hopefully newly re-elected and matured senator, at the forefront) will be able to influence a President Rubio or a President Cruz to, perhaps, make headway for criminal justice reform or to think before going to war (two crucial issues that aren’t going away anytime soon). And if the Democrats win this year with Clinton or Sanders, the party will once again have to go through some soul-searching. And maybe Paul 2020 might just sound attractive!

And although the 2016 Presidential race would have you think otherwise, with Cruz talking about carpet-bombing and Trump talking about building a wall and making Mexico pay for it, I believe the future of politics in our country is found in a more Paulian and Sanders-esque nuance. By this I mean, gone are the days where old-fashioned talking points and lack of intellectual depth will be acceptable.

If not, the growing number of disenchanted youth will demand it!

We are, after all, the New Americana.

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