Former United States House of Representatives member and presidential candidate Ron Paul is not mincing words in presenting his take on the Tuesday midterm elections. Speaking with hosts Ben Swann and Erin Ade on RT, Paul argues that the US effectively has “a monopoly of a one party system” in which the candidate elections are not bringing about fundamental change. Yet, Paul does express hope that marijuana ballot measures approved by voters in the election are a sign of how respect for liberty may be advanced in America.
Answering a question posed by Swann concerning the potential of “third party” candidates winning US congressional elections in the next ten years, Paul explains that the people holding political power will do what they can to prevent that from happening despite the vast majority of Americans being unsatisfied with the Republican and Democrat politicians. Paul elaborates:
They are very tenacious on clinging to power. If a third party person gets anywhere along, they are going to do everything that they can to stop that from happening…. This is our problem right now with Republicans and Democrats: Both endorse Keynesian economics, and they both endorse foreign policy interventionism and the wars overseas. And that’s why we are in this mess today.
Paul also notes in the interview that ballot access restrictions and debate exclusions are two of the methods used to limit the electoral success of third party candidates.
Paul, who is chairman and founder of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, zeroes in on the hypocrisy of the US government sending the military overseas to supposedly fight for democracy while “here at home we don’t have true democracy.” Instead, Paul explains, “we have a monopoly of ideas that are controlled by leaders of two parties, and, though they call it two parties, it is really one philosophy.”
Ballot measures to liberalize marijuana laws, Paul argues, are a bright spot in the Tuesday elections, demonstrating how nullification can challenge this “monopoly of ideas” in American politics. Paul states:
The marijuana issue has been taken over by individuals at the state level and essentially nullifying the federal laws. So that is another way to attack the monopoly system in Washington, DC.
Watch the complete interview here:
