Ron Paul for President 2008

Ron Paul, the Republican Party's Last Chance

By Bryan Morton

George W. Bush has all but guaranteed that the President of these United States after the 2008 elections will not be a Republican. I don't think I need to rattle off the litany of his offenses to justify that statement. Anyone who doesn't know what a poor President he has been and how badly he has bungled the job he swore an oath to do, "...will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution...", must have arrived on this planet less than an hour ago.

However, the 2008 election is still salvageable for the Republican Party. They have one chance and one chance only to pull it off. They must nominate Ron Paul as the Republican Party's Presidential candidate. With Ron Paul as the Republican nominee, an unusually broad base of support could result.

The easy money is on the hard core Republicans who don't care who's running. They're going to vote Republican, no matter what. Hannibal Lector would get their vote if he was nominated. There is also a large population of disenfranchised Republicans who had hoped that the promises of a smaller, less expensive, less intrusive federal government would come to fruition. This steadfast guard has been faithful, but you can only be disappointed so many times, and if you're halfway intelligent, the lesson eventually sinks in. A Ron Paul nomination could be just what they need to say, "OK, just one more chance..."

The Democrats are the next largest voting block. It's not certain what they'll do, but Ron Paul has a voting record which supports civil liberties. He is also consistently anti-war, and while there are Democrats who are now giving lip service to a slightly anti-war position and are saying the words exit strategy when in public, the Democrats don't have a viable Presidential candidate who really is anti-war and that is a strong swing issue with many a Democrat voter.

Who else do the Republicans get? They get the libertarians. Maybe not the Libertarians, but the libertarians. The Libertarian Party has become very disappointing. The libertarians who espouse the libertarian philosophy are feeling betrayed by the LP. The LP could make itself look really good by announcing that having a libertarian in office, regardless of what label he wears, is a positive step. They could swallow their pride, and back a Ron Paul Presidency both financially and by not fielding a competitor in the race. Ron Paul and the Republicans could gain the votes of the libertarians and the Libertarians. Unfortunately, I don't have high hopes for that scenario.

Other third party voters, independents, constitutionalists, etc... would also have a strong pull for someone with Dr. Paul's credentials and might be willing to vote Republican if it would mean gaining a Ron Paul over a Hillary or Obama.

There are also a few heavy hitter lobbyists who would happily back a Ron Paul Presidency. Christians, except those who believe that God told Bush to invade Iraq, should have no problem voting for someone with the consistent moral and ethical compass that Dr. Paul has. Organizations such as the NRA and the GOA, the JBS, JPFO and FIJA... Who else but Ron Paul could pull support from groups like these and the ACLU as well?

So, that's it. The Republican Party has a choice. They can nominate one of their fraternal loonies and make history by giving us Hillary, the first female President, or they can nominate Ron Paul and stand a fighting chance of renewing their lease on the White House.