Ron Paul: After Iowa, Kingmaker or Unelectable Libertarian?
Conservatism 101: D.I.Y. Political Education
Iowa’s in the rear view mirror and Da Tool Guy has some thoughts on Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, John McCain–and Ron Paul. Is Paul electable? Will he play the kingmaker? Will he run third party? Questions, questions, questions as Conservatism 101 kicks off the new year.
CIVICS FOR THE MASSES
CONSERVATISM 101:
#60 – And so it begins
DaToolGuy
January 6, 2012
And so it begins.
When I started writing this the Iowa Caucuses were underway and it was considered a fairly good bet that Ron Paul will come out either on top or in second place.
In the cold light of day, he came in third behind Mitt Romney and a surprising Rick Santorum. The action now moves to New Hampshire where Romney holds a commanding lead — although Santorum is beginning to cut into it, and where, as it is a primary state, Paul’s organization and rabidly loyal followers will not matter as much.
It beggars imagination that Ron Paul will actually be the nominee, at least one hopes not, but it was perhaps inevitable that he would do well in Iowa.
If he continues to do well, he may find himself in the enviable position former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee found himself in four years ago — king maker.
You’ll recall that four years ago, Huckabee could have made former Massachusetts Mitt Romney the Republican nominee by pulling out prior to Florida and endorsing Romney. Instead, in what some say was coordination with the campaign of Sen. John McCain, he stuck it out just a week or two longer than Romney could hold out — handing the nomination to McCain and the White House to Barack Obama.
That being said, I’m not sure Romney could have beaten Obama four years ago. I’m not sure Ronald Reagan could have beaten Barack Obama four years ago.
Today it is a far different matter.
While I’m not particularly happy with any of the candidates in the Republican field (I say that, I do like Rick Perry, but he’s effectively out of it barring a miracle,) Paul — and the Paulbots — disturb me a bit.
As a libertarian (yes, I’m one of those) I like a great many of Paul’s ideas.
However.
I’m also a pragmatist. While I would prefer a return to our former neutrality and semi-isolationism, it’s hardly practicable at this point.
The United States is not the same country it was in 1940. For better or worse, on a December day in 1941 we shouldered the burden of Empire. We cannot safely lay it down.
So when I hear Ron Paul suggest we should pull back within our borders, ignore the rest of the world, I shudder a bit.
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When I hear him question if 9/11 was an inside job, I cringe.
When I see him try to squirm around racist and antisemitic (yes I know, a bit redundant) remarks in his newsletters, I wince.
When I see his frothing and all but rabid supporters dismiss all of those issues and more, I want to weep, knowing this one man could easily give us another four years of Obama, either by keeping a candidate which could beat him from getting the nomination, or — and this frightens me more — by winning the nomination himself.
I spent a good portion of the caucus night having a mostly good-natured discussion with several of his supporters. No amount of gentle persuasion and logical appeals could make them see one simple truth — Paul is unelectable.
At this point, any candidate he endorses may well be as well.
After the newsletters, Obama’s Praetorian Guard in the media will annihilate any candidate associated with Paul.
We must win this year.
The nation cannot sustain another four years of socialist meddling by this president and his coterie of hangers on, handlers and sycophants.
Unfortunately, Ron Paul is single-handedly making that more likely.
by DaToolGuy
images: dbkp file; hubpages
DaToolGuy is a small town journalist with big time dreams. He’s spent his entire adult life laboring in the obscurity he actually deserves. But he’ll take the opportunity to show off when it comes.
DaToolGuy writes regularly at View from Flyover Country.
1st off your NO LIBERTARIAN and that is one clear…. But to your credit your in saying “one hopes not”……The 1%Ron that funded your article hopes not:)- ….Ron Paul is the future of leadership, like it or not
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First and last time I read your trash. You support nothing more than establishment status quo, which Americans are sick of. Ron Paul- that”s all!
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Libertarian say they don’t like the idea of bringing home the troops. If there was ever a time for the Libertarians to get behind any candidate it would be now. Unfortunately, the only way L’s can ever say I told you so about any issue with the U.S is by trying to get Ron Paul elected and letting him try to do what he wants to do. If all that he can accomplish is bringing home the troops and save the currency from imploding then thats a step in the right direction. Give him a chance and you’ll see how people will change their perspective of how Govt is supposed to run. There is one other way L’s can say I told you so and that’s when stuff hits the fan and we turn into Greece. The difference between the U.S and Greece is most Americans don’t throw rocks, they shoot guns. The problem is that if Ron Paul does not get the R nomination his followers for the most part will write him in or not vote because they know the other R candidates are no different than Obama. This guarantees Obama’s re-election. I encourage you to see through the unelectable stuff and instead turn it into a Ron Paul has to get elected mentality. Or not.
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I am a Ron Paul supporter and have a few comments on your article.
“When I hear him question if 9/11 was an inside job, I cringe.”
I’ve never heard anything of the sort – do you have a citation? You might want to take that back.
You may not agree on Paul’s non-interventionism (I do) but I believe our defense spending – like all of our other spending – is totally out of control.
Consider:
1. We spend roughly six times more on military spending than the next closest country.
2. The United States, alone, spends more on military spending than the combined military spending of the next 19 countries.
3. The total spending of the top 20 countries in military spending was roughly $1.4 trillion in 2010. Of those 20 countries only two are not strong allies, China and Russia. (And they aren’t exactly “enemies”, either…well, not yet, anyway.) That makes 90% of the $1.4 trillion of military spending of the top 20 countries attributed to the US or our strong allies.
4. Our government can’t definitively tell us how many military bases we have across which countries. Perhaps we lost count?? The answer is somewhere between 500 – 1000+ bases across 130+ countries. That’s almost 70% of the countries of the world.
Taking these points together, I don’t know how anyone can logically conclude this sort of spending is for our “defense” – it’s clear to me that this is for an “offense”, which is completely illogically and out of control spending enabled by a strong lobby and fear mongering. (To say nothing of the Fed.)
Back to non-interventionism. I don’t think it’s possible to change your mind here, but I think there are at least serious points of view to consider. Do you not believe that our presence overseas, fuels hatred for us? Consider this ad, which I think helps put things in perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfuS6gfxPY&feature=pyv
As a libertarian, are you not concerned with the erosion of our civil liberties? Even Obama isn’t supporting these anymore, as evidenced by the signing of the NDAA, a bill that many legal experts believe allows the POTUS to indefinitely detain or assassinate a American citizen without due process. Or the failed drug war? Or the unnecessary privacy of our government, as evidenced by the Wikileaks scandal? Any libertarian would be outraged by all these government power grabs and infringements on our freedoms.
And what about the Federal Reserve and the bailouts? I just received this clever video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dl1y-zBAFg&sns=em
The newsletters are pretty bad, I agree. This sums up my perspective on the ordeal: http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/20/ron-pauls-foul-old-newsletters-back-in-t
And spending. Holy cow, we are in a mess. There is nobody that is proposing any real cuts except Ron Paul.
Regardless, I don’t see him as a “kingmaker” – at least not a deliberate kingmaker. He’ll unlikely endorse any of the other candidates, stick around through the entire primary, and possibly go independent. If the latter happens, we’re in for a wild ride.
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I’m sick of neocons. Ron Paul 2012
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I am a Ron Paul supporter and have a few comments on your article.
“When I hear him question if 9/11 was an inside job, I cringe.”
I’ve never heard anything of the sort – do you have a citation? You might want to take that back.
You may not agree on Paul’s non-interventionism (I do) but I believe our defense spending – like all of our other spending – is totally out of control.
Consider:
1. We spend roughly six times more on military spending than the next closest country.
2. The United States, alone, spends more on military spending than the combined military spending of the next 19 countries.
3. The total spending of the top 20 countries in military spending was roughly $1.4 trillion in 2010. Of those 20 countries only two are not strong allies, China and Russia. (And they aren’t exactly “enemies”, either…well, not yet, anyway.) That makes 90% of the $1.4 trillion of military spending of the top 20 countries attributed to the US or our strong allies.
4. Our government can’t definitively tell us how many military bases we have across which countries. Perhaps we lost count?? The answer is somewhere between 500 – 1000+ bases across 130+ countries. That’s almost 70% of the countries of the world.
Taking these points together, I don’t know how anyone can logically conclude this sort of spending is for our “defense” – it’s clear to me that this is for an “offense”, which is completely illogically and out of control spending enabled by a strong lobby and fear mongering. (To say nothing of the Fed.)
Back to non-interventionism. I don’t think it’s possible to change your mind here, but I think there are at least serious points of view to consider. Do you not believe that our presence overseas, fuels hatred for us? Consider this ad, which I think helps put things in perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfuS6gfxPY&feature=pyv
As a libertarian, are you not concerned with the erosion of our civil liberties? Even Obama isn’t supporting these anymore, as evidenced by the signing of the NDAA, a bill that many legal experts believe allows the POTUS to indefinitely detain or assassinate a American citizen without due process. Or the failed drug war? Or the unnecessary privacy of our government, as evidenced by the Wikileaks scandal? Any libertarian would be outraged by all these government power grabs and infringements on our freedoms.
And what about the Federal Reserve and the bailouts? I just received this clever video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dl1y-zBAFg&sns=em
The newsletters are pretty bad, I agree. This sums up my perspective on the ordeal: http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/20/ron-pauls-foul-old-newsletters-back-in-t
And spending. Holy cow, we are in a mess. There is nobody that is proposing any real cuts except Ron Paul.
Regardless, I don’t see him as a “kingmaker” – at least not a deliberate kingmaker. He’ll unlikely endorse any of the other candidates, stick around through the entire primary, and possibly go independent. If the latter happens, we’re in for a wild ride.
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DaToolGuy ?
You are a tool…..
Ron Paul for POTUS 2012 !!!
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Please register and vote for Ron Paul in your Republican Primary or Caucus for President in 2012.
Ron Paul is the only candidate that doesn’t scare me. President Obama signed into law that our military can indefinately detain american citizens without due process if they are labled a terrorist. Who would you trust with this power?
According to the DoD, protesting is low level terrorism, check it out here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526972,00.html
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Ron Paul a 12 term congressman whom has NEVER ONCE voted to increase taxes, has had consistent policy positions from the start. The other candidates simply say what the voters want to hear. Ron Paul warned us about the housing bubble, the debt crisis, the collapse of the US dollar, the high employment and recessions; basically, the entire collapse of our economy. He is the only candidate who can get us out of our mess.
Ron Paul is a patriot who has honorably served his country as a flight surgeon, defends both the constitution and civil liberties, and is for peace and prosperity. Paul has the wisdom, foresight, honesty and integrity to be president.
Mitt Romney does not where he stands on any issue; Michelle Bachmann is just very angry; Rick Perry does not know very much; John Huntsman has worked for Democrats for many years; Rick Santorum is an extremist; and Newt Gingrich is philosophically unanchored, an unstable element.
America Needs Ron Paul.
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here is a good 9 video ) about the Newsletters ( someone who actually did more than parrot the propaganda media :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0hpiwfM2qo
Here is an article as to foreign policy ‘ Ron Paul is right about Iran ” ( the Atlantic, I know.., but ):
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/ron-paul-vindicated-on-iran-unfortunately/250955/
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“When I hear him question if 9/11 was an inside job, I cringe.”
ABSOLUTE LIE. He NEVER said that. He says that our foreign policy is so aggressive that we make enemies that want to do us harm. Clearly, you have not listened, investigated his stance, or are practicing the typical MSM/Corporate journalism/propaganda. If I am a “Paulbot” for respecting liberty, then fine. Rick Perry, say no more.
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You don’t sound like a Libertarian at all. Then there is this titbit: “The United States is not the same country it was in 1940. For better or worse, on a December day in 1941 we shouldered the burden of Empire. We cannot safely lay it down.” I am sure some Roman senator said the same thing as the Roman republic became an Empire and we all know how empires end. There was this one neocon who stated a few years back something like “America should every few years pick up some backwards little country and throw it against the wall to show the world we mean business” . You know in WW2 and during the cold war the world looked at America as place of freedom, one day you will stare down another monster like the Nazi’s or Communists and this time don’t be surprised if every one of those shitty little countries you threw against a wall stand up and join your enemy with ferocity. I live in Africa I have never set foot of this continent, but I know history and this is the first time I have ever been interested in American politics because if Ron Paul wins there is hope for many small nations like mine who don’t have a country of our own, if you cannot manage freedom what chance does the rest of the world have? And you are supposed to do it by example not send your armies to bomb and kill until people they believe in democracy, you have become as evil as communists and you are to blind to see it. I am sure there was a Roman senator that believed in “Roman Exceptionalism” and you are becoming a minority in your own country are you knot? The parallels with the fall of Rome is uncanny.
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kevin Reply:
January 6th, 2012 at 14:14
The Roman comparison is apt, though too many compare the US to the late Empire, which is wrong in my opinion. When you look at the events in the late republic, the Marius Reforms, the dicator Sulla, then Julius Caesar, you see that we are around that same period in terms of corruption. We don’t really have a true empire, yet, but we are vastly on our way to creating one. If we continue on the path we are on now we will end up like Rome. A once great republic superceded by an Imperial Magistrate and the vast goverment apparatus that goes with it. The US will remain the world super power this century, whether or not our lifes will be better off is the issue at hand.
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Nice link on the “low level terrorism”! This makes the NDAA even more scary!
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Ron Paul is getting very little national media coverage, even with his strong showing in Iowa and polling around 20% and in second place in New Hampshire. It’s all about Romney, Santorum and even Gingrich who is sinking like a ton of bricks. I wish the mainstream media would give equal coverage so people can hear about all the candidates running.
http://www.whatthehellbook.com/2012/01/05/fired-for-not-believing-in-hell/
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