I am disappointed in Ron Paul

Dixie said:
I already know I'm going to catch hostile flack from the libertarian nut wing here, but I need to vent a little. Of all the people currently running for president on the GOP side, I am most disappointed (and totally befuddled) by Ron Paul. Here is a man who could have very easily been the next Ronald Reagan, and led a massive broad-based coalition to an easy landslide victory. I believe he had the clout and credentials with the ever-so-important swing voters, and could have parlayed that into one hell of a run. His problem is, he went off the tracks early and has continued to do so at every opportunity. Instead of reeling in the idea that his views might be a little wacky, he doubled down on wacky, and I just don't think mainstream America connects with wacky when it comes to presidents.

For the past decade or more, people have heard of Ron Paul, and have encountered enthusiastic Paul supporters along the way. This election was his chance to finally bend the ear of mainstream voters and take it to the next level. In my opinion, his strategy has to be one of the worst political strategies of all time. I mean, protesting the wars, really? I was not aware that any great massive and overwhelming number of GOP voters were vehemently opposed to military actions abroad, isn't that predominately a left-wing thing? The only reason G.W. Bush was re-elected, was because of voters who supported him on the wars, in spite of objecting to his spending and 'compassionate conservative' fiscal philosophy, which was dubbed 'liberal lite'. The "Anti-War Right" is a very small minority of mostly idiots who think they have smarts. The Pinhead Right!

So now Paul has aligned himself with about 17-18% of the people, who either hold these same wacky views, or don't care what kind of wacky views he has, they are just ready for the 'nuclear option' here, to shake things up. Moderate Anarchists, as it were. Through his liberal-sounding tirades in the debates, he has completely alienated the typical conservative voter out there, and his appeal is to the radicals. What is a shame is, most of mainstream America could have supported Paul's views on fiscal conservative policy and size/scope of government, that's where he totally missed his opportunity to be Reaganesque, in my opinion. Had he emphasized economics more, and stayed away from his foreign policy nuttiness, the result may have been quite different. I think Paul missed his chance at greatness.
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Ron Paul is typical of most Libertarians, he holds theoretical views about government that would be a self full filing prophecy for incompetent government and he has the leadership potential of Fredo Corleone.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Ron Paul is typical of most Libertarians, he holds theoretical views about government that would be a self full filing prophecy for incompetent government and he has the leadership potential of Fredo Corleone.
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Sounds like you are describing the last two progressive activist Mayors of Oakland.
 
cawacko said:
Dungheap, not a gotcha question just curious. Of the wars the U.S. has been involved in post WWII which ones, if any, did you support?
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Only one war since WWII has been faught because that nation/region represented a clear and present danger to US national security. That was Afghanistan. It is the only war in my life time in which I had clear moral grounds to support that war. All other wars since WWII, except Afghanistan, have been in support of the political and/or economic interests of other people and supporting those wars would have required specious logic and morals at best.
 
cawacko said:
What are/were your thoughts on Korea, First Gulf war? I'm going to assume no on Vietnam and Iraq.
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Again, not answering for Dung but neither Korea or The First Gulf War represented a clear and present danger to US national security. Every time the USA has been involved in a war in which the criteria of "A Clear and Present Danger" to our national security did not exist it has resulted in substantial negative consequences for our nation.

Iraq and Vietnam were particularly egregioius wars in that the POTUS (Johnson and Bush) specifically and intentionally lied to this nation about those nations representing a military threat to the USA when they in fact did not. Those who opposed those wars were clearly morally correct to do so.

If a politician or political group tries to sell you on the idea of a war based on some theoretical or abstract benefit then they are attempting to enter a war for their own political or economic benefit. I'm not going to die or send some one elses child off to die for such immoral reasons.
 
cawacko said:
She is hopefully going to be recalled.
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The dumbing down of America is almost complete in the Bay area.

America is reminding me of a Zombie movie. Dumber than dirt lefties roaming around mumbling about "the 1%" with vacant looking eyeballs while they stumble with outstretched arms demanding food stamps and a job where they can keep their dreadlocks and lip piercings.
 
Alias said:
The dumbing down of America is almost complete in the Bay area.

America is reminding me of a Zombie movie. Dumber than dirt lefties roaming around mumbling about "the 1%" with vacant looking eyeballs while they stumble with outstretched arms demanding food stamps and a job where they can keep their dreadlocks and lip piercings.
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Not if you subtract the USC grads!! ;)
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Not if you subtract the USC grads!! ;)
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Trust me, the Bay Area is sweating. If the few intelligent people here, aka the USC grads, leave the Bay Area will collapse upon its own stupidity. I am a giver Mott. I could easily move back to LA where Trojans dominate but I choose to help the people I grew up with survive.
 
cawacko said:
Trust me, the Bay Area is sweating. If the few intelligent people here, aka the USC grads, leave the Bay Area will collapse upon its own stupidity. I am a giver Mott. I could easily move back to LA where Trojans dominate but I choose to help the people I grew up with survive.
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Damo, is there an option for me to like or thank my own post? I would like to do that here because as a USC grad I am that good!
 
cawacko said:
Trust me, the Bay Area is sweating. If the few intelligent people here, aka the USC grads, leave the Bay Area will collapse upon its own stupidity. I am a giver Mott. I could easily move back to LA where Trojans dominate but I choose to help the people I grew up with survive.
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Well that would explain why you left Ohio. The bar must be set real low in Cali? :)
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Again, not answering for Dung but neither Korea or The First Gulf War represented a clear and present danger to US national security. Every time the USA has been involved in a war in which the criteria of "A Clear and Present Danger" to our national security did not exist it has resulted in substantial negative consequences for our nation.

Iraq and Vietnam were particularly egregioius wars in that the POTUS (Johnson and Bush) specifically and intentionally lied to this nation about those nations representing a military threat to the USA when they in fact did not. Those who opposed those wars were clearly morally correct to do so.

If a politician or political group tries to sell you on the idea of a war based on some theoretical or abstract benefit then they are attempting to enter a war for their own political or economic benefit. I'm not going to die or send some one elses child off to die for such immoral reasons.
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Here's the thing... do you think there is any political ground to be gained in going after the anti-war vote from the right? Are there enough people on the right who have bought into the inane left-wing argument that Iraq is the same as Vietnam? Is our involvement or decision to become involved in the Iraq war a major issue or primary concern of GOP voters? I totally get that left-wingers will go to their graves grumbling over Iraq and Bush, but let's face it, the war is over, what's done is done. Nothing we can ever do now, will change the fact we went to Iraq and fought a war. I particularly don't understand Paul's strategy here, what the hell is to be gained by this? It doesn't matter at this point, whether Iraq was brilliant and glorious or whether it was stupid and inept, whether it was crucial and important or whether is was a deplorable mistake... it is OVER! It doesn't matter if we wasted money or it was money well spent... the money has been spent, it's gone, the war is OVER! Railing against the war like some left wing pinhead who thinks it's still 2004, is not the way to win over GOP voters... just saying.
 
cawacko said:
What are/were your thoughts on Korea, First Gulf war? I'm going to assume no on Vietnam and Iraq.
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Your assumptions on Vietnam and Iraq are correct. It's hard for me to have solid opinions about Korea and the First Gulf War since I haven't studied them closely and didn't really live through them (I was quite young during the First Gulf War).
 
Dungheap said:
Your assumptions on Vietnam and Iraq are correct. It's hard for me to have solid opinions about Korea and the First Gulf War since I haven't studied them closely and didn't really live through them (I was quite young during the First Gulf War).
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Damn junior, were you born in the '80's? I think I was a junior in high school during the first gulf war. F*ck I'm old now.
 
cawacko said:
Don't think Governor Kasich, and even those before him, haven't contacted me trying to get me back to the Buckeye state!
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Why of course he has. Why with your USC degree you'd be one of the perfect candidates to fill one of the many minimum wage jobs he's created! :)
 
Alias said:
If you don't secure your nation from Islamist murderers on your own soil, you eventually will not have a constitution. You will all be bowing to Mecca or dead.
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What will they think of next? I often wondered if Muslims had difficulty figuring out which direction to pray when they traveled. Here's a prayer mat with a built in compass.

prayer_mat1.jpg
 
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