Ron Paul

New Hampshire Straw Poll And Mitt Romney: Sign Of Trouble In Midst Of Winning?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican so called “establishment” candidate for President, who would, in theory, based on party history, be seen as the likely front runner to be the next GOP nominee, seemingly had good news this past weekend, as he “won” a New Hampshire straw poll conducted by that state’s Republican party, a full year before the New Hampshire presidential primary that, in theory, he should win handily.

But upon second thought, is his win a good sign? No, in actual fact, as the New Hampshire Republican Party has chosen a Tea Party favorite as its state party leader, and the Tea Party activists are no fans of Mitt Romney.

It is however, interesting, to notice who received votes in that straw poll in New Hampshire. Romney was way ahead with 35 percent of the vote, with Texas Congressman and libertarian and Tea Party favorite Ron Paul second with 11 percent, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 8 percent, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin 7 percent, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at 5 percent, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint also 5 percent, and others even lower.

When only Tim Pawlenty is the other mainstream Republican who scores in the straw poll, and all the others are Tea Party favorites, that makes one realize that New Hampshire might very well become the center of a right wing radicalization of the GOP for the Presidency, with the Tea Party leader in New Hampshire making clear that mainstream Republicans are persona non grata! 🙁

If that is the case, then Mitt Romney has a lot to worry about, because if he cannot count on New Hampshire, then his candidacy is a losing cause in 2012!

Texas Tea Party And Conservative Republican Dominance Today, But Long Range, Democrats Have Advantage

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Texas has become a solid Tea Party-Conservative Republican state, arguably the most right wing state, although with strong competition from Florida, South Carolina, Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma, Arizona and Kansas.

It has the longest serving Governor in the nation, Rick Perry, who has endorsed the idea of state secession, even though that was supposedly resolved 150 years ago!

It is the home of Senator John Cornyn, and Congressmen Louie Gohmert, Joe Barton,  Randy Neugebauer, Jeb Hensarling, Pete Olson, Ted Poe, Pete Sessions,  Lamar Smith, and of course, the best known of all, libertarian Ron Paul!

It is also a state in which two Democrats just switched parties and gave the GOP a two thirds plus one margin in the State House, making it a veto proof legislative body.

This is a state which has promoted secession and states rights; propagandized in the History curriculum so as to distort and omit large portions of history and de-emphasize historical personalities and events; worked to undermine the study of evolution in favor of Christianity on the state level; became the leader of anti abortion and anti gay rights crusades; and has an oligarchy of powerful financial interests who aim to keep Hispanic, Latino and African American populations in a dependent state and deny them bilingual education, equal job opportunity, and even the ability to study their own heritage, as it may lead to immigration raids to arrest illegal immigrants.

It is hard to believe that Texas was the state that gave us Sam Houston,Lyndon Johnson, Sam Rayburn, and many others who made the state renowned!

The problem for the GOP is that while now they have a tremendous edge, there could be a complete collapse of the Republican dominance within a generation in the state.

This is due to the fact that there are so many Hispanics in Texas, along with African Americans, that as time goes by and as the modern Republican Party manages to turn off most minority people, the likelihood of Democrats regaining majority status in the House of Representatives and in state government grows greater, particularly due to the present economic downtown, in which there are inadequate efforts to provide jobs and educational opportunities as government cuts back social services.  So although the GOP is more dominant than ever, Texas is going into turmoil which bodes for a change of the leadership statewide as Hispanic and Latino population become citizens and go in droves to the Democratic Party!  So Texas is likely to go “blue” in the near future, meaning by 2025-2030!

Service In The Military And American Presidential Politics!

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For much of American history, service in the military has been a plus for political leaders who sought the Presidency of the United States.

About two thirds of all American Presidents engaged in military service, and some were major figures in wartime, including George Washington, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

It has been rare to have a Presidential campaign, where neither of the candidates had served in the military, and the last time that happened was 1944, when Governor Thomas Dewey opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As recently as 2004 and 2008, the losing Presidential candidate had served in Vietnam (John Kerry and John McCain), and was admired for their war records, even though it did not help them to win.

But now for 2012, it is likely that for the first time since 1944, that neither candidate will have served in the military, as all of the major candidates for the GOP nomination, as well as President Barack Obama, have not spent time in the military.

Only Congressman Ron Paul and Governor Rick Perry, both of Texas, have ever served in the military, and neither is seen as likely to be the Republican nominee for the White House!

So with fewer people serving in the military than ever before, and with the military draft gone since 1973, it may very well be likely that from now on, the Presidential race will be lacking in influence of people who have served their country in the military!

The Dangerous Rand Paul, New Senator From Kentucky! :(

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The most disconcerting result of the Senate elections this past Tuesday was the victory of Tea Party favorite and libertarian Republican Rand Paul in Kentucky! 🙁

Rand Paul is the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who has been a big favorite of the libertarian movement for many years, and ran for President as a libertarian in 1988, and was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2008.

Often ridiculed by fellow Republicans, Ron Paul has never cared what people thought about him, and his son Rand Paul ran a campaign of anti government rhetoric that reached the level of lunacy that one would have thought that Kentucky would have rejected him for the solid, sane leadership of state Attorney General Jack Conway, the Democratic nominee!

But Kentucky, a state which elected Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning to two terms in the Senate,where he proved to be one of the most outrageously terrible Senators in US history, has now gone worse by electing Rand Paul, who is considered by many intelligent people to be an extremely dangerous man, with his crazy idea of preventing, by senatorial privilege or the filibuster tactic , any increase of the debt ceiling which is unavoidable if the federal government is to avoid bankruptcy, an action which would mean the government could not pay off government bonds, which would lead to a world wide depression! 🙁

Even right wing Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina has made it clear that the debt ceiling must be raised early next year to avoid catastrophe, but Rand Paul seems intent on causing a confrontation that could lead to total economic chaos and anarchy!

One wonders if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky can convince Rand Paul to abandon his crazy, loony mission to stop the debt limit from necessarily increasing. Since McConnell did not support Paul in the primary,and since Paul is such a weird character, one has to wonder what if any influence might exist. McConnell had the same communication problem with Senator Bunning, but Paul could indeed be actually worse as a colleague since he is such a rebel against government!

Paul may call himself a libertarian, but in many ways, he is more of an anarchist than anything else, and whatever has to be done to stop him from his announced mission to stop an increase in the debt ceiling MUST be accomplished ! 🙁

More Republican Hypocrisy: Attack Stimulus But Work To Gain Stimulus Funds! :(

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Republicans voted against the Economic Stimulus legislation in February 2009, and are using it as an issue against the Democrats and President Obama in the midterm elections, but yet they have worked to gain stimulus funds for their districts and states! 🙁

What total hypocrisy this is!

Among those who have done so are:

Senator John McCain of Arizona
Congressman Ron Paul of Texas
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota
Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana

So, in other words, campaign against stimulus funds and “earmarks”, but put your hand out and ask for funds to do exactly what you are working against! 🙁

How can anyone believe anything the GOP campaigns about? Can anyone honestly expect that a Republican Congress will NOT promote “earmarks” and stimulus spending if they feel it is to their benefit?

So the Republicans are saying: “Listen to what I say, not what I do!” Hypocrisy to the extreme, which should NOT be rewarded at the polls nine days from now! 🙁

Gallup Poll On Republican Presidential Nomination For 2012: Romney In Front!

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Here we are, a month before the midterm elections, and a Gallup Poll indicates that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the front runner for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2012, with 19 percent, with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at 16 percent, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee at 12 percent!

Further behind is former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich of Georgia with 9 percent, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul with 7 percent!

Further behind with single digits are Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, former Pennsylvania Governor Rick Santorum, South Dakota Senator John Thune, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, and Indiana Congressman Mike Pence!

It must be pointed out that being ahead in the nomination battle just before the midterm election has been the “kiss of death” in the past in both parties, so the fact that Mitt Romney is ahead cannot be seen as a clue to his likely nomination two years from now!

Romney would seem to many observers to be the best choice because of his business background and administrative experience as Massachusetts Governor, and as the head of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee back in 2002, but it does not mean that the GOP will do the rational thing and select him!

The question is: will his Mormon faith, his earlier “liberal” image as Massachusetts Governor, his promotion of a state health care plan often compared to “Obamacare”, and the fact that he does not seem to fit well with the Tea Party Movement now influencing the Republican Party, doom his chances to be the challenger to President Obama in 2012?

If one had to bet the future, it would seem as if Mitt Romney will have trouble winning the nomination, as it is seen as unlikely that early voting states, such as the caucuses in Iowa, and the primary in South Carolina, will support him over more socially conservative candidates, as many of the other potential nominees are perceived!

Libertarianism Gone Loony: Rand Paul And Coal Mine Safety!

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Back in April, we had the horrible coal mine disaster in West Virginia, only the most recent of several such disasters in one of the most dangerous occupations in America!

The need for stronger coal mine safety regulations by state and national governments is obvious to anyone who has a brain in his head, but apparently not to Kentucky’s Republican Senate nominee, Dr. Rand Paul, son of Texas Congressman Dr. Ron Paul!

Rand Paul said in a public appearance before the primary election in May that it was not the job of the US government to regulate the mines, since people in Washington do not have the expertise and experience to know how to regulate that industry!

He also said that if coal miners do not wish to do that work because it is dangerous, then they can always quit, but there will always be people who will do that work!

Paul has no understanding of the fact that economic conditions are so poor in much of eastern Kentucky in particular, that coal miners will take on the work, even though the work is dangerous, because there are few alternatives for those workers!

Mining companies are infamous for fighting unions and evading work safety rules, and for a politician to come out with outrageous statements such as Paul made, after 29 miners died in April in West Virginia, is clearcut evidence that he is totally incompetent to be a United States Senator!

Is Rand Paul The Future Of The Republican Party?

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The stunning victory of Rand Paul, the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, for the GOP Senate nomination in Kentucky on Tuesday, has brought a tremendous amount of attention to this man who claims a direct connection to the Tea Party Movement, and is seen as their first significant victory in changing the future of the Republican party!

But Rand Paul has already become the center of controversy with his belief that private businesses should not come under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and that therefore if a business owner does not wish to deal with African Americans or gays, he or she should have that privilege!

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as Rand Paul has advocated the following ideas as part of his libertarian beliefs:

1. Close down the Department of Education.
2. End the Federal Reserve Banking System.
3. Repeal the Americans With Disabilities Act.
4. Slash spending deep enough to balance the budget every year while still cutting taxes.
5. Raise the retirement age on Social Security and Medicare.
6. Cut taxes on corporations and capital gains.
7. Opposes most of the New Deal and Great Society programs as violations of the Constitution.
8. Opposed the government “bailout” of Wall Street and the auto companies.

There are many other issues that will be brought up, either by Rand Paul himself, or his Democratic opponent, Jack Conway. The area of foreign policy will become another area of debate, as well, as Rand Paul holds many of the views of his father, who has called for America to withdraw from world responsibilities, which may sound appealing upon first thought, until one investigates and analyzes what the father has advocated–in many ways, an outdated isolationism!

Certainly, Rand Paul will be one of the most interesting candidates running for the Senate this fall, and the Kentucky Senate race now comes to the forefront as one of the most important races to watch in this midterm election year!

The question is whether Rand Paul will be of benefit, or be a detriment, to the Republican party in this campaign, and if he wins, in the future fortunes of a party that has never felt comfortable with his father! Can a Tea Party personality such as Rand Paul find a home in the GOP, or will the GOP repudiate him as they have already, many times, rejected and ridiculed his father when he ran for the Presidency in 2008?

The Mystery Of Ron Paul And The Republican Party

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Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas has long been a problem to the Republican party.

A member of the House for more than two decades, and a Presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in the past, as well as having been a candidate for the GOP nomination for President in 2008, Paul is much admired by many libertarians and young people of college age who find his views fascinating.

Paul has been a strong critic of many federal government agencies, and would love to wipe out the Federal Reserve System.

Paul is also a critic of any violations of civil liberties, and was opposed to the Patriot Act, passed after September 11 in a fit of patriotism and hysteria.

He also is a critic of our military interventions overseas, and calls for bringing home our troops from all of the many nations we have military and naval bases, arguing that we should not be an “Empire”.

All this is very appealing to many, even though at times, Ron Paul comes across as a bit weird and whacky on a personal level. 🙂

The problem for the GOP is that Ron Paul appeals to many in the base, but not to the leadership of the party, who try to ignore him. He was ridiculed by both Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney during the Presidential debate season in 2007-2008.

But Ron Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll recently, and now has ended up just one vote behind Mitt Romney in a similar straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this past week.

So what does the GOP do about Ron Paul? He is totally against the typical Republican attitude toward big business, civil liberties, and foreign policy. He is a mosquito who bites the Republican body politic, and is seen as a pest.

So one wonders if Ron Paul has any chance to be a serious factor in the Presidential Election of 2012. It would have to be said that is highly doubtful, and the fact that Ron Paul will be 77 years old in 2012 also rules against any influence, other than being an annoyance.

The one hope that Ron Paul could have an influence on the future of the GOP is the fact that his son, Rand Paul, is running in the GOP primary for the Senate in Kentucky. Were Rand Paul, who sounds very much like his father, to win the nomination and triumph in the Senate race in November, we might very well have not heard the last of the Paul “dynasty”! 🙂

The CPAC Straw Poll Results: Totally Preposterous! :(

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The Conservative Political Action Conference finished its convention yesterday evening with the announcement of the results of its straw poll on who should be the GOP Presidential nominee in the Presidential Election of 2012.

Eleven people were on the ballot, including: Governors Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitch Daniels; Senators John Thune and Rick Santorum; and House members Newt Gingrich, Mike Pence, and Ron Paul.

I wish to point out that Romney, Huckabee, Palin, Santorum, and Gingrich are all out of office. Also, realize that the odds of a member of the House of Representatives becoming President are next to nil, as only one, James Garfield, was ever elected, and unfortunately he was assassinated, dying within six months of his taking the oath.

Only about 25 percent of the people who attended the conference participated in the straw poll, which was won for the past three years by Mitt Romney. Romney certainly is a legitimate contender and has the qualities needed to be a serious Presidential candidate, but this year he did not win the straw poll.

Instead, Romney ended up in second place, behind, of all people, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas! This is a shocking and preposterous result, and is totally lacking in reality within Republican ranks!

Paul winning is more the reaction of young conservatives, including college students, who find him appealing because he is against overseas involvement and is a major advocate of small government and low taxes.

But Ron Paul’s chances of being the GOP nominee are less than zero in reality. The Republican party is not going to nominate the only possible candidate who wants to withdraw from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a man who was basically ridiculed in GOP debates in the 2008 primary campaign by John McCain, Rudy Guiliani, and basically, all the other GOP candidates.

Also, and not meant to be a statement of age discrimination, but face the facts: Ron Paul will be 77 in 2012, and therefore would be 81 to 85 at the end of a first and second term in the White House! Are we likely to elect someone who would be almost the age of Ronald Reagan at the end of his second term when he first takes the oath? Let’s get real!

Also, while there are those who enthuse about Ron Paul, he does not come across well in debate or on television, so it is safe to say that he may have beaten out his ten rivals in this silly CPAC poll, but any of the others are more likely to be nominated than the Texas Congressman, including the controversial Sarah Palin.

My impression is that while there may be lots of discontent toward President Obama, the Republicans cannot win an election for President based on that alone. They have to have a LEGITIMATE candidate as the alternative to the President, and that is going to be very hard to do.

Facing this reality, if the GOP was smart, they would nominate Mitt Romney as easily the best qualified to run, but with the religious influence of evangelical Christians and the basic distaste of Republicans for the Northeast, will they be willing to nominate a former Massachusetts governor who happens to be a Mormon, a group which most evangelicals think of as a cult? Stay tuned! 🙂