#old republicans

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Around 1,500 Republicans attended the National Republican Club's Lincoln Day dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, February 13, 1933. President Herbert Hoover, seated on the dais in the background, gave what he considered the farewell speech of his administration. His term would end on March 4, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd president.

Photo: Associated Press via Business Insider

[classicaliberalism]

Adherence to men is often disloyalty to principle.

John Taylor of Caroline

[jacksonianconservative-blog]

Although it is often tricky to compare historical figures to modern day politicians I made one between Rep. Ron Paul and John Randolph of Roanoke. John Randolph was an Old Republican or "Tertium Quid" from the aristocratic Randolph family in Virginia who often stood alone with his unique views. He was a strong non-interventionist, more Jeffersonian than Thomas Jefferson himself, railed ferociously against growth in government and brought ad hominem attacks to the level of an art form. I wrote how Randolph's ideas, much like Paul's, were supported by just a handful of followers, in his own lifetime but had a lasting impact on American politics. Men like John C. Calhoun claimed his "states rights" and nullification ideas came from Randolph. And President Andrew Jackson's war on the Second National Bank in the 1830's was carried out with the same ideas that seemed dead just a decade before while the bank was an unquestioned part of U.S. government policy. Paul may be an equally prophetic character if he is successful in turning the Republican Party in a more libertarian direction. The biggest difference I see between Paul and Randolph is that Randolph was an unrepentant aristocrat that "loved liberty" but "hated equality." Paul loves liberty but would in no way suggest that society should be run by an aristocratic class. Although the piece was liked by both conservatives and libertarians, some of the libertarian Paul supporters took issue with me calling out the "kooks and cranks" that frequent their movement. Overall though I considered it a relatively flattering piece about Paul and perhaps a bit more flattering than he deserved.