Yeah, right.

Neither party talked about the Federal Reserve. The “debate,” if it can be called that, is between a top tax rate of 39.5% (Obama) or 35% (McCain). On economic matters, there is considerably more agreement between the two, supposedly competing American political parties than between factions within the Communist Party of China – and the ChiComms are considerably more economically literate, too.

But ten miles down the road from the Republican Party’s Orwellian big-government love fest, Ron Paul’s Rally for the Republic drew more than 10,000 economically educated patriots, who stood and cheered at the mention of the “Austrian theory of the business cycle,” and repeatedly broke out into impromptu chants of “End the Fed!” Imagine asking John McCain what he thought of the Austrian theory – “we might as well be speaking Chinese,” said author and historian Thomas Woods.

The speakers at Ron Paul’s Rally were a little more diverse than those at the GOP’s official convention, from which Paul – a Republican congressman – was banned. There were arch-conservatives such as Howard Phillips, the founder of Constitution Party, and John McManus, president of the John Birch Society; there were “paleolibertarians” such as Lew Rockwell and the aforementioned Thomas Woods, both of the Ludwig von Mises Institute; and there were fairly mainstream Republicans, such as former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and a pair of former Reagan aides, who have come to believe that their party has been hijacked by a dangerous cabal known as the neocons. Oh, and there was the unpigeonholeable Jesse “The Mind” Ventura, who railed against the two-party system for giving us our national debt and also floated some questions about 9/11.

Yes, it was a bit of a motley crew assembled in St. Paul, but that’s what’s great about America: it’s not the land of the lame and home of the homogeneous but the land and home of the free and brave. The conformist conventions of the duopoly, with all of their rules and restrictions, represent an America I don’t want to visit, let alone live in. But if you want diversity, look to the Ron Paul movement: there are pro-lifers and pro-choicers. There are Christian fundamentalists and gay-rights activists. There are border hawks and free-immigration libertarians.

What the heck could unite all these people?

The answer: a sound understanding of economic reality. The Paul crowd is not agitating for an income tax of 35% or even 25% but zero percent. Why? Because they know that the power to tax is the power to destroy. And they don’t pay lip service to “strengthening the dollar” without specific proposals; they know what must be done: the Fed must go the way of Enron, for it is just as corrupt and infinitely more destructive; and gold must be restored to its proper status as monetary base.

Sure, there are “mainstream” economists who would debate these radical proposals. But at the Democratic and Republican national conventions, there was no debate. Four and a half percentage points cannot possibly distinguish a “conservative” from a “liberal” if those terms are to have any meaning. And that the banking and currency system of the U.S. is above reproach – even in light of the recent bubbles, busts, and bailouts – is a black mark against American “democracy.”

A hundred years ago, the people of America were smart enough to debate economic issues. William Jennings Bryan built an entire presidential campaign on silver coinage. The Rally for the Republic showed the American people are still smart enough to consider issues of money and banking.

I had come to Denver to support the candidacy of my hero, Dr. Mary Ruwart. She had converted me from liberalism to libertarianism four years earlier, and she was up against a machine in her quest to be the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee. Her competition for the nomination was former Republican congressman Bob Barr—who as a member of the “Religious Right” had helped author the Defense of Marriage Act but now said he’d had a “Libertarian Awakening.” I was skeptical, and I wanted to do anything I could to help Mary Ruwart defeat the Republican interloper. So when she asked me to give her nominating speech, I couldn’t say no—but I didn’t want to say yes.

Public speaking is said to outrank death as people’s most dreaded fear. Personally, I get nervous over the fear of getting nervous. What if I get overcome with fear and can’t speak? The thought that this might happen is what makes it more likely that it might—it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy if you let your natural fear get out of control. Everyone’s always nervous when they first step up to the lectern. So my advice is to do something to overcome those nerves as soon as possible, and nothing works better than inspiring a reaction from the audience.

“I’m here today because of Mary Ruwart,” my speech began. In this environment, just saying the candidate’s name elicited a small smattering of applause.

“And not just here in Denver—but here, philosophically, among libertarians—” I used this line to identify with the audience. I am one of them. Even the people on the other side felt a kinship with me at this point.

“—because of one person and one person only: Dr. Mary Ruwart.” At this point, the Ruwart half of the crowd erupted in cheers. I was home free. My slow pacing and pausing reeled in the audience, and now I could move a little faster. They were listening. And thus, I was no longer nervous.

I went on to give a great speech, or so I am told. I rallied at the end, making sure to have a strong finish, by telling the story of a woman who had been moved to tears by the inspiring words of my candidate. “She is a life changer,” I said of Dr. Ruwart. “She changed my life. And if we make her our nominee…” I paused before quickening my pace, “then she will build this party by continuing the Ron Paul Revolution and converting people from all over the ideological spectrum to libertarianism, real libertarianism; accept no substitute, nominate Mary Ruwart!” The crowd erupted into cheers. Later, I ran into the WWE wrestler Kane, a libertarian and Mary Ruwart supporter, who gave me a big thumbs up. What a feeling!

And just think: only a few years earlier, I had been afraid to read aloud in class. I was so nervous about becoming nervous that I was literally paralyzed. But as with any fear, I decided the best way to overcome mine was to face it head on, and I did so when I ran for public office in 2004. Four years later, I was a bit rusty, but I used these same techniques to deliver a well-received speech on national TV. If you too are intimidated by public speaking, I suggest you give my techniques a try.

Read J.D.’s related article on the Libertarian National Convention here.