What is extremely sad is that if Ron Paul had the “right” stance on Iraq he would be the one FR is championing.
But since he’s not “right” on Iraq, and I guess American hegemony in general, any method must be used to neutralize him and his supporters.
Someone mentioned above that elections are no longer about Demvs Repub. They are about globalists/collectivists vs nationalists/individualists.
Let’s see:
1) Giuliani - globalist/collectivist
2) Romney - globalist collectivist
3) Huckabee - globalist/collectivist
4) Clinton - globalist/collectivist
5) Obama - globalist/collectivist
6) Edwards - globalist/collectivist
7) Paul - nationalist/individualist
8) Thompson - nationalist/individualist
9) Hunter - nationalist/individualist
I put Thompson under the nationalist/individualist label becuase I think he leans more in that direction than the other. But clearly the only candidates in the race who would truly be in America’s best interests are Hunter and Paul with Thompson coming in at third.
I would rank them as you did, if trancredo was still in I’d have put him ahead of Thompson.
I think that many candidates have tried to wrap themselves in the (nationalist) flag to get elected, but they are really globalists, too.
To my mind, the political spectrum is really "a circle", not "a flat line".
In this circular model, at one point in the circle is complete "Totalitarianism" and 180% away is complete "Libertarianism". If you were to put "Totalitarian" at the very top of the circle and "Libertarian" at the very bottom, you could say that Democrats occupy the 180% of the Left and Republicans occupy the 180% of the Right.
Our Founding Fathers were closer to the complete Libertarian model when this was a smaller country, but a country the size the US is now cannot have the complete Libertarian standard, so some accommodations need to be made -- the question is how much and what kind of compromise is necessary -- and this is the essence of every political question and argument.
Both the Democrats and many of the Republicans over the years have moved --from either side-- too close to the Totalitarian top of the circle so that many of them are closer to each other than they are to other members of their Party. Neither Party is completely at Totalitarian, but both have become more Authoritarian than many Americans are comfortable with. Some Americans are dissatisfied with the Authoritarianism (in whatever form) at home and some are dissatisfied with the Authoritarianism in our militarism abroad. Authoritarianism is de facto "Globalism", because the business interests that benefit from both forms of Authoritarianism are globalists. Some recognize that you can't have Authoritarianism in one place of any kind (here or abroad) without the other, and don't care how they get back to a more Libertarian model as long as we get there.
Ron Paul wants to move the Republican Party back toward the Libertarian bottom of the circle, where it traditionally came from. This is why Ron Paul's message has become so attractive to so many Americans, but it is also why he appears to be so out of step with his own Party -- because Ron Paul is not an Authoritarian and many Republicans today and virtually all Democrats today are.
This Authoritarianism is what Ron Paul was talking about when he said that "America is moving toward fascism". "Fear of losing our jobs, homes and healthcare" has driven Americans toward the Democrats' Authoritarian Socialism and "fear of terrorists" has driven the Authoritarian militarist ideal. It still means that both sides are trying to move our government toward more Authoritarianism.
In short, based on the propaganda we are being fed, we are allowing ourselves to be ruled by fear of everything and everyone inside and outside our country, and this is no way to live -- we all know it, we just disagree as to how to get out of this mess we've created.
I think that a move back toward Republican libertarianism is the only answer, and the only one with that agenda is Ron Paul. Ron Paul is not the perfect candidate, I wish that there were more candidates out there with his message, but there aren't. Frankly, I am proud that this message came out of a Republican and despite the detractors, there are many with whom Ron Paul's message resonates.