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I am a conservative and I enjoy the
reaction to Ron Paul's candidacy, but let's get one thing
straight. He can't do it. He won't get the Republican nomination
and if he runs as an independent, the Democrats will control the
White House for the next 8 years.Ron Paul's campaign is not
useless by any means. With so many conservatives in the race, I
think the GOP is getting a good view of the kind of policy stances
driving excitement in the party - and I hope they are listening.
However, there are conservatives and there are conservatives. What
the GOP cannot afford is to have the polarizing effect within the
GOP that is already being experienced between Republicans and
Democrats. So, while Ron Paul is certainly bringing visibility to
what a great number of conservatives find important and correct, he
will only appeal to those voters. That isn't enough to win a
presidential election in a country where the majority of voters are
center-right and center-left.
I certainly do not advocate the GOP
continue to abandon the 2004 platform. Most GOP voters, a great
many independents, and conservative democrats are hard and fast
believers that the party identity is reflected there. But, you
cannot ramrod the rest of the party, let alone the rest of the
country and expect results. Ron Paul advocates policy which will
alienate roughly 1/3 of GOP voters. I have heard arguments that
Paul's anti-war stance makes him a good candidate to appeal to the
far left. If that is true, you are still looking at a candidate who
only deals in the extremes - a vast minority.
The candidate who receives the GOP
nomination has got to be the one most equipped to garner
cooperation within the party. The "odd man out" for both
Republicans and Democrats in Congress isn't going to do that.
About the Author
No Pundit Intended was started in the
Summer of 2001 and has been featured on radio, as well as on MSNBC
Television.
Ron Paul's campaign is not useless by any
means. With so many conservatives in the race, I think the GOP is
getting a good view of the kind of policy stances driving
excitement in the party - and I hope they are listening. However,
there are conservatives and there are conservatives. What the GOP
cannot afford is to have the polarizing effect within the GOP that
is already being experienced between Republicans and Democrats. So,
while Ron Paul is certainly bringing visibility to what a great
number of conservatives find important and correct, he will only
appeal to those voters. That isn't enough to win a presidential
election in a country where the majority of voters are center-right
and center-left.
I certainly do not advocate the GOP
continue to abandon the 2004 platform. Most GOP voters, a great
many independents, and conservative democrats are hard and fast
believers that the party identity is reflected there. But, you
cannot ramrod the rest of the party, let alone the rest of the
country and expect results. Ron Paul advocates policy which will
alienate roughly 1/3 of GOP voters. I have heard arguments that
Paul's anti-war stance makes him a good candidate to appeal to the
far left. If that is true, you are still looking at a candidate who
only deals in the extremes - a vast minority.
The candidate who receives the GOP
nomination has got to be the one most equipped to garner
cooperation within the party. The "odd man out" for both
Republicans and Democrats in Congress isn't going to do that.
About the Author
No Pundit Intended was started in the
Summer of 2001 and has been featured on radio, as well as on MSNBC
Television.
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