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Title: GOP Would be Wise to Back Ron Paul
Source:
Op Ed News
URL Source: http://www.opednews.com/articles/op ... 70611_gop_would_be_wise_to.htm
Published: Jun 15, 2007
Author: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_
Post Date: 2007-06-15 11:42:48 by aristeides
Keywords: None
Views: 172
Comments: 14
GOP Would be Wise to Back Ron Paul by David Ferraro Page 1 of 1 page(s) After three Republican debates there is one thing that is abundantly clear. None of these men, with one exception, have much of a chance in the general election. That exception is surprisingly the little known Texas Congressman Ron Paul. The fact is that the war in Iraq is the biggest issue of the 2008 election and that 70% of the American people want to see it come to an end. If the GOP decides to go the Rudy McRomney route, a trio that refuses to hold President Bush accountable for the mistakes of the past year, the result will undoubtedly be a Democratic win whether it is Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. If most Republicans do not realize this then they are truly out of step with the rest of the country. The fact of the matter is that most Americans will not bother voting in the primaries or even do their homework and examine the two main candidates in the general election. They will rather vote with the pulse of the nation, and currently the nation wants to see us leave Iraq. The Democrats know that they will reap the benefits in November 2008 if we are still patrolling the streets of Iraq next year. It is sickening to see how they are using the lives of our soldiers in Iraq as a political boost, and they are very blatantly shaping the issue to their benefit for the next election. It sure is politically expedient to continue to have the ruling Democratic Party fund an unpopular war without a timeline to withdraw but still have the top tier all vote against it. They are able to ensure that this issue will still be relevant for the presidential election but still have their top ponies with the voting record that says they tried to end it. Further proof that the Democrats are framing the Iraq War to their benefit can be found in the last debate, when Hillary Clinton claimed that the Iraq War was "George Bush’s war". Apparently she somehow forgot that she voted for it. She also stated that every Republican candidate was in favor of the war. I am sure that every Ron Paul supporter was taken back when they heard that lie. Maybe Hillary just figured Paul is so unlikely to win the GOP nomination that she didn’t include him in her assessment, but the fact is that she said this because she wants to be running against a pro war candidate. Alternatively, if Ron Paul were to win the nomination, the Democrats would rather find themselves running against a man with more credibility regarding the anti-war stance and effectively give the GOP the high ground on one of the most important issues of the election. However, the main obstacle for Paul is getting the Republican base to actually get behind his non-interventionist stance. The first and foremost mistake most Republicans make when criticizing Paul’s foreign policy stance is that he is weak on terror. This is just not true, as he is all for fighting Al-Qaeda and believes we should have more troops and effort spent in Afghanistan. What Paul does not promote is fighting pre-emptive wars and muddling in the internal affairs of other nations that cause terrorists because this weakens the overall war on terror and our national security. Unfortunately, we have caused quite the sticky situation in Iraq. While it is universally accepted that there was no significant Al-Qaeda presence in Iraq before we stepped in if at all, they have now arrived amidst the chaos to fight our soldiers and send Iraq into a civil war. There are no good options when solving Iraq, but patrolling the streets of a foreign civil war should not be the job of the United States military. The main idea behind the opposition to pulling our troops out is that Iraq would turn into a base for Al-Qaeda. While this is a possibility, it is important to note that it is not a certainty. Regardless, the main flaw in this thinking is that we lose all control of Iraq after we pullout. There is no reason that we cannot reenter Iraq if it became a base for terrorist operations. In fact, it would probably be to our military’s benefit. The problem we have had when fighting Al-Qaeda is that they are mobile and decentralized. If they overran the Iraq government and set up a terrorist state we would finally know where our enemy was, and would have far better success in taking them out. If the GOP would find it possible to accept Ron Paul’s view on foreign policy, which have been backed by the former head of the CIA Bin Laden unit, and look at his social and monetary policies they would realize that he is actually the most conservative candidate in the election. As a conservative, while I do not agree with the foreign policy of the Bush administration I can at least understand the (what I believe to be flawed) thinking of his supporters. However, I can not see how they can support the massive increase in government we have experienced over the last seven years. It is the exact opposite of the fundamental conservative ideology. When they addressed this in the last Republican debate Tommy Thompson said that, “We went to Washington to change Washington — Washington changed us.” It may have changed many of the members that were on the stage that night, but not Ron Paul. You have to respect a man who will point out when he feels that the head of his political party is not following the very ideals that they stand for. In 2004, Paul said, “Mr. Speaker, I once again find myself compelled to vote against the annual budget resolution for a very simple reason: it makes government bigger.” In the South Carolina debate, when Paul was asked what he would do to limit cut the federal budget he stated, “Well, I would start with the departments.” He has also never voted to raise taxes or voted for an unbalanced budget. As far as lowering taxes go, he makes Bush look like a Democrat. He would like to do away with income tax and replace it with nothing, which to my amazement, is only a little over 1/3 of the federal revenue. With all the waste in the federal government that we could do away with, it is completely doable. Surely, this is the kind of talk any Republican can get behind. But still, Paul remains largely ignored by the GOP base. It is really too bad, because not only is he the most conservative candidate they have, but he would have the best chance when the focus changes towards the beating the Democrats. Go Zags!
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#1. To: aristeides (#0)
The powers that be will never allow that. They would destroy Paul first.
Let me say first, I like RP and wish I lived in a nation that would elect such a man. That said, why would the Rs, one wing of the national political bird, nominate a man who would dismantle much of the power structure they created?
If the Bible were on a best-seller list, would it be classified as fiction or nonfiction?
They would'nt and they wont. Rabbi Jorge Bushowitz swindled the nations voters twice and now Hillary will do the same.
If the GOPers had any brains, they would do everything they can to distance themselves from George W. Bush (who is about as popular now as Jimmy Carter was in 1980) and the policies that he represents. None of the GOP candidates save Ron Paul are prepared to disavow Shrub, so I'm happy to see them self-destruct.
A large portion of the capitalist class supported the election of FDR in 1932, because they saw it as the best way to preserve capitalism. Sometimes you have to sacrifice some of what you have to save the rest.
To reason, indeed, he was not in the habit of attending. His mode of arguing, if it is to be so called, was one not uncommon among dull and stubborn persons, who are accustomed to be surrounded by their inferiors. He asserted a proposition; and, as often as wiser people ventured respectfully to show that it was erroneous, he asserted it again, in exactly the same words, and conceived that, by doing so, he at once disposed of all objections. - Macaulay, "History of England," Vol. 1, Chapter 6, on James II.
If Congress passes the immigration bill along anything like its current lines, we may see both parties simultaneously self-destructing.
To reason, indeed, he was not in the habit of attending. His mode of arguing, if it is to be so called, was one not uncommon among dull and stubborn persons, who are accustomed to be surrounded by their inferiors. He asserted a proposition; and, as often as wiser people ventured respectfully to show that it was erroneous, he asserted it again, in exactly the same words, and conceived that, by doing so, he at once disposed of all objections. - Macaulay, "History of England," Vol. 1, Chapter 6, on James II.
It will hurt the GOP more than the Democrats. The Democrats' constituency supports amnesty and open borders anyway, plus the inflow of naturalized illegals will be more votes for them. Immigration seems to be the only issue where the GOP rank and file (who are sheep on just about every other issue that Shrub sells out on or screws up) might still wake up to and rebel against the party on.
Some of the Dems' constituency may support amnesty, but I suspect a lot of their working-class supporters, including a lot of blacks, do not. The Compromise of 1850, which included the Fugitive Slave Act, initially hurt the Whigs a lot more than the Democrats. But in the end the Democratic Party too paid the price for appeasing the Slave Power.
To reason, indeed, he was not in the habit of attending. His mode of arguing, if it is to be so called, was one not uncommon among dull and stubborn persons, who are accustomed to be surrounded by their inferiors. He asserted a proposition; and, as often as wiser people ventured respectfully to show that it was erroneous, he asserted it again, in exactly the same words, and conceived that, by doing so, he at once disposed of all objections. - Macaulay, "History of England," Vol. 1, Chapter 6, on James II.
A tactic both parties are using on immigration. I think the phrase they are tossing lately is 'Don't throw out the good to achieve the perfect. ' Pouring good milk in with sour milk, won't produce good milk.. just a larger amount of bad. But we are told, it's at least tolerable. No. There is no going back at this point. I hope that Ron Paul can prevail. I believe he will stick to his principles. Seems he understands history far more than all other candidates combined. I haven't really found a weak spot in his positions, other than, his inability to control the face time he is allowed.
"The main purpose of the Council on Foreign Relations is promoting the disarmament of U.S. sovereignty and national independence and submergence into an all powerful, one world government." -- Rear Admiral Chester Ward Rear Admiral US Navy (retired), CFR member for 16 years, Judge Advocate General of the Navy 1956-60
Unfortunately, I agree. We're talking about the Rs allowing RP an opportunity to dismantle their trillion dollar crime syndicate. I know guys in Brooklyn who would break your kneecaps if you took a piece of bread off their table. At least they give their victims a heads up, unlike our political mafia. See JFK, RFK among others.
If the Bible were on a best-seller list, would it be classified as fiction or nonfiction?
Didn't he then promptly confiscate private gold and establish the Federal Reserve? Not to mention, later on, turn his back on the boys at Pearl Harbor? I guess that's capitalism, or some variation thereof.
If the Bible were on a best-seller list, would it be classified as fiction or nonfiction?
The Federal Reserve started in 1913, at the same time as the federal income tax. FDR certainly modified and regulated capitalism. But the alternative was what somebody like Huey Long would have done to it.
To reason, indeed, he was not in the habit of attending. His mode of arguing, if it is to be so called, was one not uncommon among dull and stubborn persons, who are accustomed to be surrounded by their inferiors. He asserted a proposition; and, as often as wiser people ventured respectfully to show that it was erroneous, he asserted it again, in exactly the same words, and conceived that, by doing so, he at once disposed of all objections. - Macaulay, "History of England," Vol. 1, Chapter 6, on James II.
However, the main obstacle for Paul is getting the Republican base to actually get behind his non-interventionist stance
#2. To: aristeides (#0)
#3. To: Jethro Tull (#2)
That said, why would the Rs, one wing of the national political bird, nominate a man who would dismantle much of the power structure they created?
#4. To: aristeides (#0)
#5. To: Jethro Tull (#2)
#6. To: Jethro Tull (#2)
#7. To: Rupert_Pupkin (#5)
#8. To: aristeides (#7)
(Edited)
If Congress passes the immigration bill along anything like its current lines, we may see both parties simultaneously self-destructing.
#9. To: Rupert_Pupkin (#8)
#10. To: aristeides (#6)
Sometimes you have to sacrifice some of what you have to save the rest.
#11. To: Cynicom (#3)
They would'nt and they wont.
#12. To: aristeides (#6)
A large portion of the capitalist class supported the election of FDR in 1932, because they saw it as the best way to preserve capitalism.
#13. To: aristeides (#0)
(Edited)
RON PAUL 2008!
#14. To: Jethro Tull (#12)
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