Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie poked the deep state dragon one too many times. And a couple of weeks ago, he was “primaried” in (thanks to a tsunami of out-of-state money), the most expensive Congressional campaign ever.

Libertarians are mourning his loss and hoping he runs for president in 2028. Here’s a post from 2024 that explains why:

People We Should Know: Rep. Thomas Massie

Originally published June 11, 2024

There are maybe 10 currently serving US politicians who have managed to avoid looking corrupt, stupid, senile, and/or mindlessly bloodthirsty in recent years. One of the most interesting of that tiny group is Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, a consistent libertarian who is anti-war (including the latest one in the Middle East), opposed to foreign aid, in favor of functioning borders, and unwaveringly dedicated to the 1st and 2nd Amendments.

And he recently sponsored a bill to close the Federal Reserve.

Massie sounds, in other words, like a young version of Ron Paul. Among libertarians, he’s building near-unanimous goodwill.

From the Brave browser’s AI “summarizer”:

Massie has been a vocal opponent of government spending and has voted against numerous bills, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Affordable Care Act.

He has also been a strong advocate for gun rights and has voted against several gun control measures.

Massie has been a critic of the Federal Reserve and has voted against several Federal Reserve nominees.

Speaking of the Fed:

GOP rebel and Trump critic Rep. Thomas Massie introduces bill to ‘End the Fed’ 

(Kitco News) – On May 16, in the midst of the primary campaign, Massie introduced the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act, a piece of legislation that aims to abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve banks. H.R. 8421 would also repeal the 1913 Federal Reserve Act that created the Federal Reserve System itself.

A day earlier, Massie put the introduction of the Act to a vote on his Twitter account, with over 86% of respondents urging him to do it.

“Americans are suffering under crippling inflation, and the Federal Reserve is to blame,” said Rep. Massie in a statement shortly after its introduction. “During COVID, the Federal Reserve created trillions of dollars out of thin air and loaned it to the Treasury Department to enable unprecedented deficit spending. By monetizing the debt, the Federal Reserve devalued the dollar and enabled free money policies that caused the high inflation we see today.”

Massie referred to this monetization of debt as a “closely coordinated effort between the White House, Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Congress, Big Banks, and Wall Street.”

“Through this process, retirees see their savings evaporate due to the actions of a central bank pursuing inflationary policies that benefit the wealthy and connected,” he added. “If we really want to reduce inflation, the most effective policy is to end the Federal Reserve.”

Meanwhile, Massie’s opposition to foreign wars earned the enmity of some powerful lobbies, which funded attempts to “primary” him earlier this year. Here’s how that turned out:

Thomas Massie handily defeats GOP primary challengers, AP projects

Massie handily triumphed over primary challengers Michael McGinnis and Eric Deters. As of press time, the incumbent led with 75.7% of the vote to McGinnis’s 12.3% and Deters’s 11.9% with 85% of precincts reporting.

“Tonight’s victory is a referendum on thousands of independent votes I have cast in Washington DC on behalf of Kentucky’s 4th District,” Massie said in a statement. “I’ve consistently upheld the Constitution, by voting for and sponsoring legislation to support the right to keep and bear arms, the right to free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to privacy.”

“I’ve also fought against endless foreign wars, foreign aid, and inflationary policies, regardless of who is in the White House,” he went on.