The Revolution: A Manifesto

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The Revolution: A Manifesto

2008 first-edition cover
Author Ron Paul
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Genre(s) Politics
Publisher Grand Central Publishing
Publication date April 30, 2008
Media type Hardcover
Pages 192
ISBN ISBN 978-0446537513
Preceded by A Foreign Policy of Freedom

The Revolution: A Manifesto is a New York Times #1 best seller by Republican U.S. Congressman Ron Paul. According to Paul, the book is based on written notes during his 2008 presidential campaign.

The slogan for the book, also reproduced in jacket copy, is: "'Dr. Paul cured my apathy,' says a popular campaign sign. THE REVOLUTION may cure yours as well." The blurb was written by former Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr.: "The real truth about Liberty. This book takes a wrecking ball to the political establishment. Senator Goldwater would have loved it—it's The Conscience of a Conservative for the twenty-first century."

Contents

[edit] Summary

The contents include a brief preface, seven chapters, and a bibliographic appendix. The preface emphasizes that the book was written to contrast Paul's ideas against "the deadening consensus that crosses party lines, that dominates our major media". Chapter 1 carries this theme by describing recent American elections as false dilemmas and presenting the message of freedom and individual rights as rallying a new widespread revolution, yet one grounded in the tradition of Robert Taft Republicanism. Paul describes the book as "an opportunity to highlight and explain [my views] in the kind of systematic fashion that campaign speeches and presidential debates simply do not allow", "a long-term manifesto based on ideas, and perhaps some short-term marching orders", and "what the agenda of George W. Bush's successor should be if we want to move toward a free society once again".

The longer Chapters 2-6 each take up a particular political issue in turn. A foreign policy of nonintervention is defended from texts of the Founding Fathers and influential conservatives, and diversely elaborated in relation to al-Qaeda, Iraq, Iran, foreign aid, and Israel. Strict construction of the U.S. Constitution, especially as it establishes states' rights, is defended against signing statements and judicial activism, and employed to affirm declaration of war by Congress, the volunteer army, Paul's pro-life position, and rejection of racism. Economic solutions are proposed to abolish the income tax while sustaining Social Security, to restore the previous high-quality American health care system Paul recalls from his career, and to address regulation, free trade, environmentalism, and campaign finance. Paul emphasizes civil liberties as expressed in the American Freedom Agenda Act and warns against dangers of a surveillance state, the War on Drugs, and educational mental health screening. Finally, he employs Austrian economics against the Federal Reserve, hyperinflation, the subprime mortgage crisis, and taxes on gold and silver transactions.

Paul closes by stressing the need for education "in the scholarship of liberty", citing the Mises Institute and LewRockwell.com for particular attention, and by laying out a presidential agenda based on the issues presented. He believes the people possess the power to free themselves, ending the book by saying, "If freedom is what we want, it is ours for the taking. Let the revolution begin." Books that have influenced Paul and which he recommends to his readers include 48 titles, such as The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, The Creature from Jekyll Island, The Road to Serfdom, Economics in One Lesson, Human Action, Doctor Zhivago, Atlas Shrugged, and Democracy in America, as well as titles from Thomas DiLorenzo, Thomas Fleming, Chalmers Johnson, Rose Wilder Lane, Andrew Napolitano, Robert Pape, Lew Rockwell, Murray Rothbard, and Hans Sennholz.[citation needed]

Item Page Length
(Titles and Dedication) (i) 5
Contents vii 1
Preface (and Main Title) ix 5
1: The False Choices of American Politics 1 7
2: The Foreign Policy of the Founding Fathers 9 31
3: The Constitution 41 27
4: Economic Freedom 69 39
5: Civil Liberties and Personal Freedom 109 27
6: Money: The Forbidden Issue in American Politics 137 20
7: The Revolution 157 11
A Reading List for a Free and Prosperous America 169 5

[edit] Reception

Upon release, the book moved to the top of several bestseller lists.[1] It was one of Amazon's Top 10 best sellers, its #1 seller of all political books,[2] and became its #1 seller among all categories.[3][4][5][6][7] Revolution debuted at #7 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and at #2 on its list of bestselling political books for the period of April 12 to May 3, 2008; some bookstores reported receiving bulk orders.[8] It became #1 on the nonfiction list for the week of May 18, 2008.[9] The book spent its third week on the Times best seller list at #7,[10], its fourth at #5[11], and its fifth week at #8.[12]

[edit] Reviews

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit gave the book a favorable, though mixed, review, saying, "The book benefits from many of the Paul campaign’s virtues, in the form of accessibility, clarity, and straightforwardness. On the other hand, it also suffers from some of the Paul campaign’s vices."[13][14] Paul Constant at The Stranger likened Paul to an "ancient high-school civics teacher" who "puffs up" at the notion of the Constitution as a "living document."[15]

David Weigel of Reason, a reporter who was critical of Paul's campaign and of his association with paleolibertarians like Lew Rockwell, reviewed the book favorably, comparing Paul's political ideas to those of fellow anti-war conservative Sen. Chuck Hagel. "Paul has a grand unified theory to offer readers, knowing full well that he's opening minds, not programming them," Weigel wrote, adding that he "offers readers, first and foremost, the lesson that 'leaders' and universally accepted concepts shouldn't be trusted. It is worried and informed neostructuralists who can change things, not historical 'great men.' If Ron Paul doesn't provide perfect solutions, he certainly provides a blueprint."[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Malcolm, Andrew. "Ron Paul's forces quietly plot GOP convention revolt against McCain", Top of the Ticket, Los Angeles Times, 2008-05-12. Retrieved on 2008-05-12. 
  2. ^ "Ron Paul's New Book, The Revolution: A Manifesto", U.S. News & World Report, 2008-04-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  3. ^ Malcolm, Andrew. "Ron Paul, political loser, now best-selling author", Los Angeles Times, 2008-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  4. ^ Weber, Christopher. "The Road to Paulville", AOL News, 2008-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  5. ^ Wyckoff, Whitney. "Ron Paul's 'Revolution:' Box Office", Baltimore Sun, 2008-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  6. ^ Weigel, David. "But If You Want Money for People With Minds That Hate...", Reason Magazine, 2008-04-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  7. ^ Sinderbrand, Rebecca. "Paul No. 1 on Amazon.com", CNN, 2008-03-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  8. ^ Mays Poli-Book Best Sellers - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog
  9. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction", The New York Times, 2008-05-18. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  10. ^ Hardcover Nonfiction - New York Times
  11. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/books/bestseller/0608besthardnonfiction.html
  12. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/books/bestseller/0615besthardnonfiction.html
  13. ^ Reason Magazine - Hit & Run > Instapundit on Ron Paul's New Blockbuster Book
  14. ^ Pajamas Media » Reading the Ron Paul Revolution
  15. ^ Constant, Paul. "A Review of The Revolution: A Manifesto", The Stranger, 2008-04-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  16. ^ Constant, Paul. "You Won't Fool the Children of the rEVOLution", Reason, 2008-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-15. 
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