With his historic filibuster two weeks ago and his win in the Conservative Political Action Conference’s (CPAC) straw poll this past weekend, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is the hot name in politics.

The senator’s recent success has put a lot of attention on his biggest supporters: Libertarians.

Currently the fastest growing political entity in the nation, Libertarians are conservative only in respect to the role of the government. They believe a government that governs best, governs least, and that man should be as free as possible.

They also believe the role of the government should be confined to protecting the rights of life, liberty and property. Thus, Libertarians believe in the highest degree of civil liberties, and that the government has no right to dictate what citizens do with their lives or their bodies, so long as these rights are not infringed.

Libertarians also strongly oppose the unnecessary wars and foreign intervention that have become staples of the Republican Party.

Now, a Republican like Rand Paul, who largely believes in these Libertarian principles, is garnering increasing support from a wide variety of Americans. But this is troubling for old-school conservatives, who make up most of the good old Republican Party most of the country has come to know and, well, despise.

And while Republicans like Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) try to discredit Paul and maintain the status quo, many high-ranking liberals are not happy, either.

The truth is, in the eyes of the establishment, comprising those atop the political, corporate and media system as it stands, a strong Libertarian presence upsets their balance of power.

And by balance, I mean the increasing polarization of American politics, which has allowed the government to grossly overstep its boundaries for years.

We live in a country where all of your opinions and beliefs are diluted and compacted to fit into one of two rigid, pre-determined ideologies.

Sure, the two sides of our political spectrum have differences in social welfare programs, taxing methods and social issues. Aside from these few things, which represent just a tiny fraction of the issues, the two major parties mostly agree on everything else.

No matter who is in office or who controls Congress, it’s more of the same: increases in spending and growth in the size of government, broadening the scope of foreign intervention, and more limits on constitutional rights in the name of security.

But if you listen to politicians and the mainstream media, you would think the difference between Republicans and Democrats is astronomical, that if the “other guy” had control, it would mean the end of the world.

This demonization of the other side and ignorance of reality divides the nation, Democrat vs. Republican, left vs. right, conservative vs. liberal.

Both sides remain ignorant to the real threats facing their own livelihoods, caring only if their guy wins or not.

While we follow the lead of politicians and the mainstream media and quarrel over these small differences, the wealthy, oligarchic ruling elite we call the U.S. government is continuing to expand its powers and incrementally strip our rights.

The establishment has long suppressed Libertarians – they never fit well into one of those rigid ideologies pushed on the American people. But as of late, thanks in large part to the success of Rand Paul, the Libertarian movement has become hard to silence.

This movement is spearheaded by us, the “Facebook generation.” With the rise of social media and the Internet, we are witnessing the influence of the establishment and the mainstream media begin to collapse before us. We are starting to see the truth behind our current system, which has gotten this country into the mess it is in.

Will you join and help restore America to its founding principles, or continue to contribute to politics as usual?

Nick Smith is a junior broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears weekly. He can been reached at nxsmith@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @Nick_X_Smith.

Published on March 20, 2013 at 1:49 am