Top 10 Libertarians of 2017
1.) Rand Paul
Coming off of a rousing re-election to the US Senate in 2016, Rand Paul was on the front-lines of liberty both literally and figuratively in 2017. Over the course of the year, Paul survived not one, but two assassination attempts on his life. Notwithstanding, the attempts on his life at the Republican Congressional baseball practice and on his front lawn did nothing to halt the son of Ron Paul from fighting arduously to defend liberty.
Paul kicked off the year with a bang by preventing notorious neoconservatives John Bolton and Rudy Giuliani from getting positions in Trump’s cabinet, all by his lonesome. His onslaught against neocons continued throughout the year, as he went toe-to-toe with John McCain numerous times after stating on ABC in February that “John McCain has been wrong on just about everything.” A month later, Paul’s push against Obamacare Lite gained serious steam when he brought a copy machine to the Obamacare replacement meeting. The next day, he took his copy machine on a treasure hunt around DC in pursuit of the Obamacare replacement bill. That same month, Paul became known as The Trump Whisperer, after Donald Trump tweeted support for Paul’s Obamacare replacement plan. His determination helped destroy the Obamacare Lite bill, giving Americans hope that Congress can one day repeal the disastrous healthcare bill without replacing it.
Paul’s accomplishments in 2017 don’t stop there, however. After a game of golf with Donald Trump, Paul announced that he and the President are getting closer to an agreement on healthcare. In May, he and Tulsi Gabbard stood alone in opposition to Saudi Arabia, urging against dragging the US into more needless conflicts in the Middle East. Later in the year, Paul called for the deregulation of the hemp industry. Paul has also hinted at another filibuster against the NSA and the surveillance state. And in closing out the year, Rand Paul entertained his supporters with his annual airing of grievances on the fictional holiday of Festivus, in which he complained about wasteful spending, high taxes, permits, and some of his colleagues in the US Senate.
