Posted on 05/12/2011 4:15:33 PM PDT by SJackson
Even analysts who disagree with Texas Congressman Ron Paul on the issues recognized last week that the principled libertarian turned in the ablest performance at the first Republican presidential debate.
Indeed, as Paul prepares to mount his third campaign for the presidency, he does so from a dramatically better position than at the beginnings of his previous bids.
In 1988, he was a Libertarian shouting from the political wilderness about the supposed sameness of Republican George H.W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis.
In 2008, he was a maverick Republican wedged into debates with a crew of credible contenders such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. He got notice, mostly from Giuliani, who objected that a dissenter from GOP economic and foreign policy orthodoxy had been allowed on the debate stage. But again, Paul was denied the sort of coverage and respect accorded contenders who echoed the party line dictated by Dick Cheney and the neocon taskmasters.
In 2012, Paul runs as an increasingly iconic Republican with a good many more allies inside the party and a claim to fame that most of his fellow contenders for the GOP nod lack: a job as a congressman that places him in the thick of national debates. Perhaps most significantly, he uses his position in Congress to embrace positions that, while at odds with Republican leaders, raise the concerns of millions of Americans from across the ideological spectrum.
That does not mean he is going to secure the Republican nomination. The Grand Old Party does not have a history of nominating candidates who take stands that unsettle the Wall Street bankers and corporate CEOs who pay the party’s tab — and kindly pick up some bills for the Democrats as well.
With that said, however, there are plenty of reasons why progressives might welcome Paul to the 2012 race.
One need not support the man or his overall platform — which deviates from classic libertarianism on some vital social issues and which features an antipathy toward entitlement programs that makes Paul Ryan sound like a liberal — to recognize the value added to the Republican presidential debates, and the broader discourse, by a candidate who:
1. Has consistently opposed the undeclared wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, siding with Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in struggles to hold Democratic and Republican presidents to account for unlawful and unnecessary war-making.
2. Has worked alongside Congressman Barney Frank, D-Mass., to make the case for deep cuts in the Pentagon budget.
3. Has regularly voted with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and other labor-aligned Democrats in opposition to free-trade pacts that leave workers jobless, shutter factories, batter working-class communities and make a mockery of democratic governance in the U.S. and abroad.
4. Has joined former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Michigan Congressman John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, in raising all the right questions about the Patriot Act, domestic surveillance and abuses of civil liberties.
5. Has partnered with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the chamber’s steadiest advocate of economic justice and social-democratic ideals, to demand transparency and accountability from the Federal Reserve.
6. Has sided with Kaptur, Feingold, Sanders and other critics of bank bailouts that were backed by both President Obama and the Republican leadership of the House and Senate.
7. Has mounted a stronger defense of WikiLeaks and press freedom than any other member of Congress — Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative.
Ron Paul is not a progressive. He takes stands on abortion rights and other issues that disqualify him from consideration by most moderates and liberals. But he cannot be dismissed as just another robotic Republican. Indeed, he is more inclined than Barack Obama to challenge Republican orthodoxy on a host of foreign and fiscal policy issues. As such, he brings a dimension to the presidential race that would otherwise be missing. And, at some point in some debate, he is going to face the supposed front-runner in the field — who avoided last Thursday’s clash in South Carolina — and he is going to make Mitt Romney scream.
John Nichols is the associate editor of The Capital Times. jnichols@madison.com
You might get a kick out of John Nichols Republican endorsement.
Ron Paul with the “dramatic failure”. I disagree with Paul’s assessment of Reagan, amongst other things. But if there’s a picture to be taken, or a donation to be taken, that will benefit Paul, he’ll make use of it.
You can post that pic in every thread but we all know RuPaul called President Reagan a failure. Paul is a pro-heroin surrender-monkey who blames America for terrorist attacks against her. Thankfully, this loon will never be president of these United States.
You mean Ron “ I support Amnesty” Paul?
NO THANKS!
If Wrong Paul had his way, Osama Bin Laden would still be alive today.
No thank you.
RuPaul wanted to end all funding to Israel, our ally in the Middle East. The U.S. gives billions of dollars a year to foreign countries that hate us and regularly vote against us at the United Nations. But, Israel votes with the U.S. 97% of the time. They are a loyal ally that shares our values. The aid they receive is used to buy military equipment from U.S. companies so the money comes back to us. Ron Paul’s proposal made no sense. But then, Ron Paul is a loon.
Paul challenges GOP orthodoxy the same way the Rat party does. Both are from separate parties. When will people finally call this dude out as a straight up doctrinaire Libertarian. He has no place in the GOP or Conservative movement. The only thing he agrees with them on, and breaks away from his actual party, is on Abortion.
“RuPaul wanted to end all funding to Israel, our ally in the Middle East.”
Actually I am all for ending ALL foreign aid.
Look, a puff piece about Ron Paul from John Nichols of the progressive, socialist Nation magazine. Nichols, as I recall, has been busy organization and working very hard to subvert democracy in Wisconsin. He is a HUGE fan of Kloppenclown and is investing huge amounts of time using his perch in the media to recall Wisconsin Republican state senators.
Ron Paul is an idiot. Yes, he gets some things right on economic policy, but as a typical libertarian his foreign and defense policy positions are a nightmare. Add to that his comfortable alliance with truther conspiracy theorists, and well, that is about all one needs to know.
The simple fact is Paul is a libertarian and NOT a conservative. Therefore he will never win the GOP nomination. But I guess we are stuck with another year of paulbots infecting political, sports, gaming, weather, etc, forums with paulbot spam.
What will the slogan be this year? Ron Paul for President, because darn it America needs legal heroin!
He has principles like Fred Phelps has morals.
That sounds good but it's just not practical. RuPaul's proposal would not lower our budget deficit. By abandoning Israel while its enemies are gaining strength, the risk of a major war in the ME would increase. A major war would cost the U.S. billions and billions of dollars as we have already seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. We could, of course, not assist our ally and watch as Iran achieves its goal of wiping her off the map. I, for one, am not about to condone turning our backs on the only real democracy in the ME.
Ron Paul is the Cynthia McKinney of the Republican Party.
Yes, but what you’re not saying is that Ron Paul also wants to end giving billions of dollars a year to foreign countries that hate us and regularly vote against us at the United Nations. He is against foreign aid; he’s not against Israel. Either you are misinformed or you are deliberately misinforming people on this.
Yes, that John Nichols.
Bullcrap. What is not practical is saying that this nation is so broke that we have to charge vets for their medical care and gut medicare and social security, raise taxes at the same time we are borrowing money from the red chinese and sending it overseas in the form of “aid.” THAT is not practical nor is it intelligent.
Laws pertaining to heroin use in America are 'unconstitutional'. That's one of the RuPaul talking points being spread at FR by his band of miscreants/supporters.
I can keep doing this all day. Let's just say Fraud Paul doesn't always attract the most savory characters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.