>>>>Being unabashedly pro-life,
He’s unabashedly for states’ rights and “local control” of abortion. He ranks right-to-life below states’ rights. Not exactly “unabashed.”
>>>>favoring a constructionist view of the Constitution
When it favors him. He’ll slide around it when it doesn’t. He objects to funding a Rosa Parks medal but favors funding art contests. Not exactly an impressive record of consistency.
>>>>and rejecting Keynesian economics both in rhetoric and in action.
Lots of conservatives have also done so.
He criticized Newt’s “dirty money”, yet had no problem profiting from his newsletter sprinkled with racist comments (the knowledge of which he later denied).
Paul will retire never having followed through on his cry to “audit the Fed.” Like most politicians, he’s simply an opportunist. He had no interest in auditing the Fed; he was simply trying to draw attention to himself with that exhortation so that he could make another failed bid for the Presidency.
He’s a crank on border issues, and a complete naif on foreign policy.
No wonder Rachel Maddow likes him.
I am definitely not arguing that Ron Paul is perfect. I am just concerned about how we draw in young voters, and I think this article’s point about Ron Paul’s appeal with the young is something we need to use as a lesson for next time. As the article states:
“What began as an academic exercise became a real movement. Paul’s is the only flavor of conservatism that currently appeals to millennials and other young voters. In Iowa, he finished 35 points ahead of Romney among voters aged 17 to 29. In New Hampshire, Paul won more voters between the ages of 18 and 24 than Romney, Rick Santorum, New Gingrich, and Rick Perry combined.
Even in Alabama, a rare state where Paul took just 5 percent of the vote, he did twice as well with voters between the ages of 18 and 29. His worst states were the places where the Republican electorate was old. Paul’s boisterous campaign rallies were filled with young people, as are the conservative and libertarian organizations—such as Young Americans for Liberty—his efforts spawned.”
How do we draw those young people in next time?
It's been Republican rhetoric for years that they want to cut taxes and reduce the size of government, but the party hasn't done anything serious to pursue that agenda, even during the days when they held the White House.
It's not the man we like. We're not chauvinists for Ron Paul. His political career is over anyhow; he's going to retire soon. What we responded to in Paul was the agenda, not the personality.
Give us a candidate who will do things to cut the Federal budget and shore up individual liberties... not talk, but do... and he'll get my vote. He'll get lots of other peoples' votes too.