The 2010 round of Congressional elections promise to be as interesting as the 1994 round that followed the last Democrat being elected president. That last time this phenomenon was dubbed the Republican Revolution and saw the Republicans gain control of the House for the first time in 40 years and make large gains at all levels of government.
Anyone who followed politics after Bill Clinton’s election in 1992 can see a lot of similarities in today’s political climate. The Republicans are in full-on panic mode, their base is energized and they will make gains in 2012. Some noted liberty-minded people are contemplating entering into this mix, as well. Could we see a 2010 Grassroots Revolution?
Peter Schiff, noted advocate of freeing the market, has been all over the news since the start of our current economic meltdown. A grassroots effort is underway to garner support for a run at Christopher Dodd’s Senate seat in Connecticut. Schiff has not said that he would run but he has been quoted as saying…
If I really thought I could make a difference, might I be willing to change careers? I might …but there needs to be a bigger movement, there needs to be more candidates.
Schiff has a cult-like following on the internet, especially on YouTube. He is thoroughly entertaining and I would make a trip to Connecticut to watch him debate Dodd.
Doctor Rand Paul, son of Dr Ron Paul, has said that he is strongly considering running for Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning’s seat if Bunning’s financial problems keep him from seeking re-election. This potential Senate bid is still unofficial and, similar to the Schiff effort, currently still in the grassroots phase.
New Mexico’s Adam Kokesh, noted activist and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, has recently launched an exploratory committee for a possible congressional seat bid. This, too, began with a grassroots website. Kokesh is a fiery guy with widespread appeal and you can see some of that in this interview he gave to the Motorhome Diaries.
Assuming all three of these guys run for and win their respective races, where does it lead? Would they make a bit of difference in Washington? I doubt it.
The primary benefit that the freedom movement would receive would be in giving these three men a larger audience. They would serve to expose a wide range of people to a more libertarian message, similar to what the elder Paul did. I am an Agorist, and the kind of change that I promote can never be won at the ballot box. If these three can open the eyes of some people to the evils of the state, though, I am all for it.
And I really want to see that Schiff versus Dodd debate.
