07 August 2013

To Answer A Reader's Question ...

Q:  Dear Rev. Paul, what is your political affiliation?

A. To answer that, let me first digress ... just a bit. (And didn't you just know I would?)

The first two political 'parties' to form after adoption of the Constitution, and during George Washington's administration, were the republicans and the federalists.

The republicans (please note the small 'r') aligned themselves with Thomas Jefferson, who was bitterly opposed to the increasingly-powerful central government envisioned by Alexander Hamilton and his supporters. The Jeffersonian republicans favored a strictly limited "General Government", as Jefferson called it, with an emphasis on States' rights & sovereignty.

Hamilton's falling out with Jefferson over this very issue - and peripheral issues including a national bank and an array of tax proposals from Hamilton - caused first Jefferson, then Hamilton himself, to resign their cabinet posts while George Washington was still in office.

Jefferson himself was a libertarian (again, please note the lower-case 'l'), and that works for me. His concept of the Republic, then newly-formed, was to emphasize the rights and power of The People and the States, with power flowing upward from the citizens.

So in answer to the e-mailed question, I am a Jeffersonian republican ... meaning a small-"l" libertarian who believes that the U.S. Constitution, as written and amended, and as defined by the Founders themselves, is the best possible form of government. ("That government governs best which governs least.") 


I am aligned with no particular political party, unless someone formed a Jefferson/Constitution Party while I wasn't looking.

7 comments:

PioneerPreppy said...

Hmmmm not sure I would link Jefferson with today's libertarians too closely even if it was with a small L.

I like many things about Libertarians until we start getting into drugs, immigration and foreign policy.

Although in all fairness perhaps without the present day Liberal welfare state maybe the Libertarian ideas would work better in the end if it was a complete level playing field.... Except foreign policy I doubt I will ever see the Libertarian view on that.

Rev. Paul said...

Understood & agreed, Preppy. I try to stay FAR away from Libertarians. It's safer to say that I have small-L-libertarian leanings.

JeremyR said...

Hello, Rev Paul, I stumbled in by accident. I have libertarian leanings, but consider myself a Constitutionalist. Some libertarians are good, many are whacko. If we consider the word of GOD first, we would be a lot better as a nation. respect for GOD, respect for our Constitution, respect for our fellow man. It all is lacking in today's politics.

Rev. Paul said...

Welcome, Jeremy. I agree 100% with what you say.

DR said...

Hey, wait a minute. I consider myself a Libertarian. That said, your post could have just as easily been written by myself. I find we are in agreement in the type of government we desire. I even have a child named after Thomas Jefferson and Jefferson Davis. Deo Vindice, my friend.

Rev. Paul said...

Your comment doesn't surprise me, DR. That much is obvious from your blog. :)

Brock Townsend said...

Jeffersonian republican

Precisely.