In the 2008 Republican primaries, Ron Paul was one of the most interesting, dynamic candidates in the race. Full of passion and unique ideas, he was able to raise millions from the Internet while enticing a small horde of young voters to his campaign. Anyone who watched the Republican debates knows that Ron Paul added flavor and entertainment to an otherwise bland occasion. As amusing as Ron Paul often was, however, his ideology presents an inescapable danger to the US.

It has been said by Howard Dean that Republicans want to take the US back to the 1950’s. Ron Paul, however, has no interest in taking America back to those “good old days”. Instead, Ron Paul is the ultimate reactionary; he wants to take America’s foreign and fiscal policy back to the 1930’s. In addition to the withdrawal of troops from Iraq (a good thing), Ron Paul would yank US troops out of every corner of the world. This not only means withdrawing from places where we are no longer needed (e.g. Eastern Europe), but also places where US troops are crucial to maintaining regional security (e.g. Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and possibly South Korea). Ron Paul would withdraw the US from NATO, severing our long-standing alliance with western Europe. In effect, Ron Paul advocates a return to the foreign policy of the isolationists and the America First crowd that got us into so much trouble before WWII (many historians speculate that WWII could have been prevented if the US hadn’t been so isolationist).

If Ron Paul’s foreign policy is unsettling, his fiscal policy is downright frightening. Not content to take our fiscal policy back to the 1930’s, Paul would instead take it back to pre-WWI days. He has advocated for the implementation of the gold standard and the abolition of the Federal Reserve. He would like to abolish the income tax – the tax by which the US government raises most of its revenue (this is an example of one of the attractive but unrealistic views held by Paul). Ron Paul would effectively end FICA by allowing young people to opt out of the program. He would withdraw from NAFTA and implement a trade policy similar to that of the laissez faire era. Ron Paul’s fiscal policies would exacerbate income disparity and leave the US economy wide open for devastating recessions.

If there is one issue that I agree with libertarians on, it is that of personal liberty. But Ron Paul is no advocate of personal liberty. Ron Paul describes himself as an “unshakable foe” of abortion rights. Ron Paul spoke out strongly against the Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence vs Texas (2003), in which it was ruled that anti-sodomy laws are unconstitutional. Paul justified his criticism of the court by saying that the individual states should have the right to decide whether or not to have such laws. In essence, Paul puts the rights of the states to pass discriminatory laws above individual liberty. Ron Paul refused to take a stand against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a Republican debate, when asked about it. He has even said that he would not vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if it were reintroduced today, arguing that the courts can’t read people’s minds to tell if they are discriminating against minorities in employment or access to services. Lastly, Ron Paul has stated that he does not believe in evolution, though he claims that such a belief is irrelevant (in my view, it most definitely is not).

Ron Paul derives his views on everything from economics to foreign and social policy from a strict interpretation of the Constitution. He is notorious for citing the “original intent” of the Constitution in justifying his views (e.g. the Founder’s sought to avoid entangling alliances; therefore, we must withdraw from NATO). While there is absolutely nothing wrong with idolizing our nation’s Founders, it is wholeheartedly foolish to allow the dead hand of generations long past to dictate our nation’s policies. The world has changed so much since the Constitution’s birth; only a flexible interpretation of the founding document will allow it to stand the test of time.

To answer the question posed by this article’s title, Ron Paul’s ideology is thoroughly hideous. Because Paul is so earnest and because his ideas are so unique, there is a deep temptation for those wanting change to support him. But the only change that Ron Paul plans to deliver would be grossly reactionary. His ideas would stifle progress by decentralizing political power and by taking this country back to the pre-WWII era. That, needless to say, would be most hideous.