Speaking Friday with Charles Goyette in their weekly podcast conversation, RPI Chairman and Founder Ron Paul discusses his recommendations for young people interested in becoming involved in politics, including Paul’s guidance that people may advance freedom under various party labels. Paul welcomes advancing freedom under party labels including Democrat, Green, Libertarian, and Republican.
Speaking of his deliberation in the 1970s regarding whether to run for the US House of Representatives, Paul, who ultimately ran and served in the House as a Republican, notes that he sought advice from Rep. Larry McDonald who served in the House as a Democrat. Paul also relates that he and McDonald together opposed a US government flu vaccination scheme that had overwhelming Republican and Democrat support in the House.
Listen to the conversation here.
Paul continued to work for liberty with House members across the aisle. In later years, Paul’s many joint efforts with Rep. Dennis Kucinich to protect civil liberties and prevent or end wars stand out. Paul’s work with Kucinich continues, with Kucinich serving on the RPI Advisory Board. At the April 17 event launching RPI, Kucinich spoke eloquently about the nonpartisan nature of the effort to advance a peaceful foreign policy and respect for civil liberties at home:
I’m shoulder to shoulder with Ron Paul in being concerned about how war enables the state to become more powerful and, as a result, it deprives our citizens not only of economic vitality but also of civil liberties. . . .
Even as we speak, we see war and the seeds of war being planted around the globe. That’s why this institute has so much importance—because it will provide a place for people to gather from across the political spectrum so that we can, as Americans, address our common concerns about freedom, about peace, about prosperity, and, in doing so, help to rescue our country from a trajectory that it’s on right now that can only lead to our destruction. . . .
And I look forward to working closely with Ron Paul and all of the other board members as we look to a future where we can help our country make better choices—to choose peace, to choose prosperity over war and poverty.
Watch Kucinich’s speech, and Paul’s introduction of Kucinich, starting at time marker 10:00 here:
