Casting a Paul on GOP
A straw poll taken at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) in New Orleans April 8-10 indicated the following preferences for the 2012 presidential nomination:
Mitt Romney 439
Ron Paul 438
Sarah Palin 330
Newt Gingrich 331 (1)
The big surprise was that Rep. Paul (R, Texas), who lost every primary in his quest for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, was virtually tied for first place with Governor Romney, a top-tier contender in that contest. Those who attend party conferences are not representative of the rank-and-file voters in primary elections; they are the party activists, the very people who are most likely to pick a candidate early and really work for him or her.
Ron Paul is not a typical Republican congressman. He is extremely conservative on federal spending and isolationist in foreign policy, putting him at odds with former President George W Bush on both the budget and the Iraq War. Paul always votes against foreign aid and was the only Republican (along with only 4 Democrats) to oppose the House Resolution supporting Israel in the Gaza War of December, 2008. He is also notorious for his affinity for "Bilderberg-type" conspiracy theories. In short, he is on the kooky-fringe of the Republican Party.
No, I d0 not believe he has any chance of winning the 2012 Republican nomination. If he runs again then, he will be trounced again. But the size of his support at the SRLC is a sign that a substantial segment of the Republican Party activists are receptive to a message that combines vehement hostility to the federal government with xenophobia and credence in big conspiracies. Parties that have just lost the White House are especially vulnerable to ideologue movements, such as those who engineered the disastrous nominations of Barry Goldwater in 1964 and George McGovern in 1972.
Meanwhile, Rep. Paul's son Rand, an ophthalmologist, is making a serious bid for the Republican nomination for senator in Kentucky, where the incumbent Jim Bunning has declined to seek re-election. The younger Paul claims the support of the Tea Party Movement, and his endorsement by Tea Party darling Sarah Palin appears to confirm the connection. (2) Paul proposes cutting Medicare and Social Security, and amending the Constitution to require a balanced federal budget.
He has also called for closing the US Detention Center at Guantanamo, and repatriating all prisoners who cannot be convicted of a crime to Afghanistan.(3) Largely because of this stance, former Vice President Dick Cheney is supporting his rival, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, for the senate nomination. Grayson also has the backing of the state's senior Senator Mitch McConnell and the GOP establishment.
If young Paul wins the May 18 primary, his drastic positions may endanger the ability of the Republican Party to hold onto this seat. The conflict between Rand Paul and Trey Grayson nicely illustrates the double-edges of the Tea Party sword: the movement attracts highly-motivated people to join the Republican Party and become active, but also may result in the nomination of unelectable fringe candidates.
Like Ambassador Joseph P Kennedy, Ron Paul will never achieve his dream of becoming President of the United States, but he is "kvelling" that his son is on his way.
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(1) Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press, April 11, 2010.
(2) Kate Zernike of the NY Times, same day.
(3) A CIA intelligence analyst who interviewed Guantanamo detainees estimated that about a third had no connection to terrorism at all. A subsequent study by the Seton Hall Law School found that most of them had not committed any act against the United States, and only about 8% were Al Qaeda fighters. (Jonathan Chait in the New Republic, April 8, 2010, page 2). According to author Jane Mayer of The Dark Side, Bush administration officials found evidence that about 200 detainees were innocent.
Mitt Romney 439
Ron Paul 438
Sarah Palin 330
Newt Gingrich 331 (1)
The big surprise was that Rep. Paul (R, Texas), who lost every primary in his quest for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, was virtually tied for first place with Governor Romney, a top-tier contender in that contest. Those who attend party conferences are not representative of the rank-and-file voters in primary elections; they are the party activists, the very people who are most likely to pick a candidate early and really work for him or her.
Ron Paul is not a typical Republican congressman. He is extremely conservative on federal spending and isolationist in foreign policy, putting him at odds with former President George W Bush on both the budget and the Iraq War. Paul always votes against foreign aid and was the only Republican (along with only 4 Democrats) to oppose the House Resolution supporting Israel in the Gaza War of December, 2008. He is also notorious for his affinity for "Bilderberg-type" conspiracy theories. In short, he is on the kooky-fringe of the Republican Party.
No, I d0 not believe he has any chance of winning the 2012 Republican nomination. If he runs again then, he will be trounced again. But the size of his support at the SRLC is a sign that a substantial segment of the Republican Party activists are receptive to a message that combines vehement hostility to the federal government with xenophobia and credence in big conspiracies. Parties that have just lost the White House are especially vulnerable to ideologue movements, such as those who engineered the disastrous nominations of Barry Goldwater in 1964 and George McGovern in 1972.
Meanwhile, Rep. Paul's son Rand, an ophthalmologist, is making a serious bid for the Republican nomination for senator in Kentucky, where the incumbent Jim Bunning has declined to seek re-election. The younger Paul claims the support of the Tea Party Movement, and his endorsement by Tea Party darling Sarah Palin appears to confirm the connection. (2) Paul proposes cutting Medicare and Social Security, and amending the Constitution to require a balanced federal budget.
He has also called for closing the US Detention Center at Guantanamo, and repatriating all prisoners who cannot be convicted of a crime to Afghanistan.(3) Largely because of this stance, former Vice President Dick Cheney is supporting his rival, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, for the senate nomination. Grayson also has the backing of the state's senior Senator Mitch McConnell and the GOP establishment.
If young Paul wins the May 18 primary, his drastic positions may endanger the ability of the Republican Party to hold onto this seat. The conflict between Rand Paul and Trey Grayson nicely illustrates the double-edges of the Tea Party sword: the movement attracts highly-motivated people to join the Republican Party and become active, but also may result in the nomination of unelectable fringe candidates.
Like Ambassador Joseph P Kennedy, Ron Paul will never achieve his dream of becoming President of the United States, but he is "kvelling" that his son is on his way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press, April 11, 2010.
(2) Kate Zernike of the NY Times, same day.
(3) A CIA intelligence analyst who interviewed Guantanamo detainees estimated that about a third had no connection to terrorism at all. A subsequent study by the Seton Hall Law School found that most of them had not committed any act against the United States, and only about 8% were Al Qaeda fighters. (Jonathan Chait in the New Republic, April 8, 2010, page 2). According to author Jane Mayer of The Dark Side, Bush administration officials found evidence that about 200 detainees were innocent.
posted by Gerald S Glazer at 10:08 AM
1 Comments:
Ron Paul is NOT a Republican he is a Libertarian. All of his views are libertarian views, they are NOT conservative views.
There are major differences between conservatism and libertarianism. One major difference is foreign policy as libertarians are against foreign entaglements of any kind while conservatives are for a strong defense with major allies in the world as needed.
Ron Paul is a registered Republican for practical reasons only as third party candidates are never succesful. Ron Paul attracts the Tea Partiers for his libertarian economic policies.
Ron Paul will never win the Republican nomination for President, because he is not a Republican he is a Libertarian and everyone knows this.
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