Many experts expect public anger over inflation to enable Republicans to regain a majority in the US House of Representatives and maybe the Senate in next week’s midterm elections. However, even if every close Senate race broke in Republicans’ favor, and the new Republican majority was determined to pass a pro-liberty agenda, there still would not be the votes to override President Biden’s vetoes, or Chuck Schumer’s filibusters. Pro-liberty legislation cutting spending, or protecting our First, Second, and Fifth Amendment rights, or shutting down the Department of Education, or auditing the Federal Reserve, would not become law.
The fact that such pro-liberty legislation would not become law is a reason many Republican Congress members feel comfortable cosponsoring and voting for such bills. One of the dirty secrets of American politics is that the establishment of both parties supports the corporatist welfare-warfare state and the fiat money system that makes it all possible. While they quibble over the details, the only real disagreement between the two parties is over which one is better able to run the economy, run the world, and run our personal lives.
One hoped-for benefit of having Congress in Republican hands is that the Republican desire to deny President Biden any major legislative victories going into the 2024 election means the American people will be safe from more big spending legislation like the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act that will lead to more inflation. It is also hoped that our liberty and prosperity will be safe from attempts to expand government’s role in healthcare and implement the Green New Deal.
Should Republicans take the Senate, my son Kentucky Senator Rand Paul could assume the chairmanship of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Rand has already stated he wants there to be a full investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci’s actions leading up to and during the Covid scare. Rand’s chairmanship would also allow him to examine ways in which the Department of Education has undermined parental authority and weakened academics while promoting the use of critical race theory in government schools. He could also look at how the Education Department is abusing its authority to force schools to allow boys to play on girls’ sports teams and even to use girls’ bathrooms.
Arizona could send pro-liberty members of Congress a new ally: Blake Masters. Masters is an advocate of limited constitutional government who understands the importance of challenging the Federal Reserve’s unchecked power and protecting liberty and prosperity. He is currently in a very close race with incumbent Senator Mark Kelly, who is a leading advocate for gun control in the Senate.
While we should support those few politicians who stand up for liberty, we should remember that we cannot rely on politicians alone to restore liberty. Instead, the only way to win back our liberty is to change the political and cultural environment politicians operate in. That is why converting a critical mass of people to libertarianism is crucial. Our victory will come not by electing a libertarian majority to Congress but by controlling the political and intellectual environment so even the authoritarians feel compelled to vote for liberty.
Ron Paul is a former U.S. congressman from Texas. This article originally appeared at the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and is reprinted here with permission.
