Beyond Ted Cruz and Rand Paul Label Confusion

In his book, The Conservatarian Manifesto, Charles C. W. Cooke writes about people who are unhappy with out-of-control government overreach, discontented with Republican leaders of recent decades, and not able to find a comfortable political label for themselves. They say things like: "When I'm around conservatives, I feel like I'm a libertarian; but when I'm around libertarians I feel like a conservative."

We can imagine Cooke describing Rand Paul as a conservative-leaning libertarian, and characterizing Ted Cruz as a libertarian-leaning conservative. Both candidates champion liberty but (as with all of us) their vision of what liberty looks like and how to achieve it is colored by their personal past learning and current level of understanding.

Cook recognizes, "While conservatism and libertarianism share many of the same qualities (most importantly opposition to insane man-made laws), they are absolutely not the same thing." A conservative might ask: "How can I possibly honor tried and true values and yet support a candidate whose live and let live attitude might open the door to destructive behavior?" A libertarian could ask: "How can I be totally loyal to the principles of live and let live and yet help elect a candidate who might possibly restrict how I would live?"

While it is true that neither Ted Cruz nor Rand Paul is 100% conservative or 100% libertarian, both are logically consistent in their understanding that successful political steps to curb government insanity provides a much higher service to liberty than the politically self-destructive ego satisfaction of purity at all costs.

Although conservatives and libertarians love to satisfy their egos by focusing on and magnifying their differences, if you find a conservative and a libertarian who are not controlled by ego they will agree that if either Rand Paul or Ted Cruz were to win the presidency, American government would be far less insane than with Hillary Clinton blowing the job.

Americans don't need a new political category with a new label like conservatarian. Americans only need common sense.

Is there value in both Rand Paul and Ted Cruz competing for the Republican nomination? Oh, yes. But that might require some explanation.

If the liberal-progressive insanity which has permeated American society continues ... then libertarians, conservatives, and untold millions of non-political people are doomed to economic misery and enslavement to dictatorship by hopelessly misguided left-leaning politicians. Therefore, the first priority of both libertarians and conservatives must be to defeat liberal-progressives.

One obvious value of both Ted Cruz and Rand Paul running is they are both out there making waves in public, reaching people and influencing people to focus on this crucial first priority.

But there is a far more important value served by their candidacies. Neither conservatives nor libertarians are completely wrong (else their brand wouldn't be able to continue); nor is either group completely right (else they would have already experienced overwhelming political success). So in the evolution of mankind's political thinking, a winnowing process is taking place to separate the grains of truth from useless chaff.

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz vigorously launching their ideas up into the gusting political airwaves serves to winnow away whatever does not resonate deep inside of people, while exposing whatever truth they offer to be seen more easily by everyone. This enormously important process will eventually lead the majority of Americans to hold a clear vision of profoundly authentic political liberty and its value to them.

The ego's way to view Ted Cruz and Rand Paul would be to find fault with them. The ego says, "Here is where they are wrong." But remember, the ego's goal is sabotage of all that is truly valuable. Better to say to the ego: "Get thee behind me, Satan!" There is no profit in over-focusing on mistakes of those who might help our cause while overlooking their value.

There is profit in paying attention to what our deep inner being wants for us and recognizing how different it is from temptations slipped into our minds by the ego. We don't need the temptation of a new political label, and in fact we find freedom in the statement: "Labels be damned!"

Insisting on our right to individuality without labels, we can now appreciate Rand Paul and Ted Cruz tossing into the public winnowing basket not only their ideas but their entire lives in order to each in his own way aid the cause of liberty. Now our spirit is lifted out of the mire of ego-vested perceptions. Free of label enslavement, and riding a new wave of gratitude, our spirit ascends to new heights.

Now having freed our minds, we too are teaching freedom to the world.



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The device which even more deeply prepares freedom lovers for success, A Course in Miracles , talks about our ultimate need to free ourselves from every kind of slavery:

You have been told to bring the darkness to the light, and guilt to holiness. And you have also been told that error must be corrected at its source. Therefore, it is the tiny part of your self, the little thought that seems split off and separate, that the Holy Spirit needs. The rest is fully in God's keeping, and needs no guide. But this wild and delusional thought needs help, because, in its delusions, it thinks it is the Son of God, whole and omnipotent, sole ruler of the kingdom it set apart to tyrannize by madness into obedience and slavery.




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