Word to Paul-Bots
July 31st, 2008 at 08:42am Leo Pusateri
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dueling delegations pitting Ron Paul’s Nevada supporters against those of John McCain vow to take their fight to the Republican National Convention.
That’s just one sign that the outsider, Internet-fueled movement led by the feisty Republican congressman from Texas remains afloat in the wake of McCain’s victory in the GOP primaries.
In the libertarian-leaning West, where Paul’s message of distrust of the federal government and ardent individualism played particularly well, there is talk of Republicans straying from McCain. Libertarian candidate Bob Barr has emerged as a favorite alternative for Paul activists, followed by Constitutional Party candidate Chuck Baldwin.
Even if the numbers of such dissenters are small, in tight contests in key Western states they could spoil McCain’s chances, experts say.
"In Nevada, there’s absolutely enough to have an effect on the election," said Chuck Muth, a leading conservative activist in a state in which early polls show McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama in a statistical tie.
"I think that you will see not just Libertarians who always vote for the Libertarian candidate but conservative Republicans saying we’ve had it, we’ve had enough and they’re going to go ahead and vote Libertarian," Muth said.
Paul — or "Dr. Paul," as his followers reverently refer to the obstetrician-turned-politician — ran as the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 1988. But this year he carved out a following as an antiestablishment Republican. His campaign won more than 1 million votes and became a catchall for anti-war, anti-government voters and disaffected Republicans.
Now I’m sure you’re thinking that 2008-2012 will be transitional years. Either Obama wins, FUBARs the nation, serves a one-term presidency, and loses in 2012; or McCain wins, FU the nation (but not beyond all recognition); gets old, and we get another shot at 2012. So, you say, either way it’s all good, right?
But there will be three reasons to vote for, and yes, even work to help elect John McCain this go-round: and those reasons are, to put it simply, Supreme Court, Supreme Court, and, oh, did I mention Supreme Court?
John Paul Stevens, 88
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75
Antonin Scalia, 72
Anthony Kennedy, 71
Stephen Breyer, 69
David Souter, 68
Clarence Thomas, 60
Samuel Alito, 58
John Roberts, 53
There’s no way that Stevens is going to last til 2012, and Ruth Vader Ginsberg will no doubt follow him out the door. Hell, Scalia ain’t getting any younger, either. That leaves two or more openings before 2012. To put it simply, a Barack Obama presidency (not to mention a continuing dem majority in both Houses) will most certainly poison an already-precariously balanced Supreme Court for years to come. An Obama presidency will be the catalyst in a perfect storm that will leave this nation saddled not with liberalism, but with out-and-out socialism for the foreseeable future.
Scorched earth. Is that what you really want? In the process of "sticking it" to the Republican party, you’ll be able to kiss conservatism, and yes, libertarianism goodbye. Put those ideals into a storm shelter, and perhaps take them out in a couple of decades. If we’re still around by then.
So, Paulbots– you still want to "stick it" to the Republicans?
Think hard. Think long and hard before you answer.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Grassroots, Justice System, Kook Left, Supreme Court
13 Comments
1. Word to Paul-Bots&hellip | July 31st, 2008 at 9:09 am
[...] D. H. Williams wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt Stop. And. Think. LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dueling delegations pitting Ron Paul’s Nevada supporters against those of John McCain vow to take their fight to the Republican National Convention. That’s just one sign that the outsider, Internet-fueled movement led by the feisty Republican congressman from Texas remains afloat in the wake of McCain’s victory in the GOP primaries. In the libertarian-leaning West, where Paul’s message of distrust of the federal government and ardent individualism played [...]
2. JCal | July 31st, 2008 at 9:17 am
The Paulbots should stick it to the McCainiacs.
3. Fredrick Schwartz | July 31st, 2008 at 9:53 am
I’ve been working on this from all the way back in the spring when everyone in the right wing punditsphere wanted only to talk about how divided the Democratic Party would be if Hillary Clinton took her fight to be the nominee to the convention in Denver. Looks like that isn’t gonna happen and it is not very likely that HRC will be the Veep nominee. Two strikes early and the Lord Charles that you know you can’t hit is coming in the form of a convention battle of the kind that hasn’t been seen since 1968.
The problems aren’t the same, a candidate the party doesn’t want in a year when they have no incumbent running. Johnson and Bush both Texans both mired in the rough and tumble politics of a nation at war. Johnson sought to do too much; Bush has chosen to do only what rewarded him politically. Therefore, you bring in the wild card of Dr. Ron Paul who can rally over 5 million conservative and libertarian voters away from John McCain and what you have is a recipe for disaster in 2008 that lasts not 4 but 16 years. In the next three quarters of a decade Obama/Kaine can replace seven of the nine members of the SCOTUS with young Liberal judges that are cast in the mold of Thurgood Marshall, Felix Frankfurter and Byron White. Imagine seven judges from all across the racial and gender spectrum between the ages of 47 and 55 serving on that court for the next three plus decades. Such a court could outlast the pro-life movement that seeks to overturn Roe v Wade. Equally, they could work directly to reverse the conservative “activism” that has plagued the courts for the last two decades.
The Paul threat is greater than any wished for threat that Hillary Clinton could have posed. McCain’s weaknesses are manifold but as an establishmentarian who does not cotton very well to religious conservative values he has a large open wound that Ron Paul can and will exploit at his rally at the University of Minnesota. Paul need only ask the gathered throng, that the RNC will try to silence with every dirty trick left in the Nixon vault and even some from Mayor Daley in 1968, a very simple question: “If John McCain had not been shot down and been a true American hero and upon returning home gone into politics would he be the nominee of the GOP today?”
4. Pain | July 31st, 2008 at 9:56 am
3. Fredrick Schwartz | July 31st, 2008 at 9:53 am
That “disaster” is only in the minds of Christian conservatives who have only a singular issue in mind of course.
5. OhioOrrin | July 31st, 2008 at 11:26 am
Paul, & Barr, are symptoms not causes.
symptoms of a sell-out GOP majority & administration that failed to:
balance any budget;
respect states’ rights;
impose constitutional tariffs to protect our citizens’ jobs;
secure our borders & ports;
check the radical social right;
impose constitutional cks & balances on the executive;
et al…
our citizens deserve a center 3d party which will become the natural majority. the extremists in both party’s must become back-benchers no longer defining policy nor issues.
the dominate 2 parties are terrified of that prospect.
the political spectrum is multi-dimensional not only left/right, but also authoritarian/libertarian, nationalist/internationalist,
sound money/loose money,
etc
from destruction comes (re)construction.
6. Casper | July 31st, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I’m wondering if calling Ron Paul supporters Paul-Bots is the best way to get them on your side.
7. congressive | July 31st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
The problem with painting Paul followers as bots is that they are the exact opposite: they know 9-11 was blowback for American policy, they’re not “ditto-heads” as so many Republicans LIKE to call themselves. They’re not rubber stamps for BushCo.
They actually use their brains. And that ticks Republicans off to no end.
I am NOT a Paul-bot by any measure. I think he’s the gateway to Mexican-style oligarchy in America. But, hey, if he wants to destroy the conservative movement, GO FOR IT!
8. Larry | July 31st, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Being an Eisenhower conservative, I may actually vote for Paul. But only if Obama is way ahead. 4 more years of wanton deficit spending may bankrupt our country. Maybe this is how Russia wins the second cold war, watch us self destruct in our own greed.
9. Balbina-Herrera-Torrijista-Para-Siempre-Fan | August 1st, 2008 at 2:55 am
3. Fredrick Schwartz | July 31st, 2008 at 9:53 am
This couldn’t come at a better time. It is getting goofy out there. McCain and Obama are in a dead-heat and 29% of those polled found the overwhelming foreign support for Obama “a negative”.
How bizarre? Returning to Ron Paul for a moment how could that possibly be a negative? Ron Paul’s all about a strong dollar and the more the US does this LONE SUPERPOWER thing and disrespects national sovreignty, the greater chance of economic disaster in the US.
I’m surely not a Paul-bot, whatever that is, but when he talks about foreign policy, fiscal policy, monetary policy, property rights, and personal freedom, he’s really speaking a language that you have to like whatever party you prefer.
Last I checked, Ron Paul was a born-again Christian. A states-rights’ advocate and was opposed to Roe v Wade. Yet, liberals, moderates and conservatives seem to appreciate his intelligence and forthrightness. He raised a tremendous amount of money.
How is this guy not the nominee? If here were the nominee, he’d ultimately give Obama a tougher challenge than McCain can.
He’d certainly throw every expected bloc vote and typical fight for the middle into total disarray. It’s kind of hard to imagine how any bloc would divide up between those two. I could see them splitting every bloc but two: White Evangelicals would go 70/30 Paul and African-Americans would go 70/30 Obama.
Make no mistake about it, there is surprising Ron Paul support among African-American voters. A race between those two would change American politics in ways nobody could ever predict. I could see Bush devotees switching to Obama and lifelong liberal Democrats switching to Paul.
Too bad. It would have been tremendous political theater and both Obama and Paul would be well-received outside of the US.
10. Cut n Run | August 1st, 2008 at 8:45 am
I liked alot of the stuff Ron Paul talked about. McCain should sit down with Ron Paul, and talk about the need for his supporters to show up and vote for the GOP.
Along with judges
Many of my friends were drawn to Ron Paul because of his strong 2nd Amendment support, McCain’s record on guns is much more impressive than Obama or Hillary’s. A good reason to show up and vote!
Ron Paul wanted to eliminate the income tax, a great idea, McCain wants to keep taxes low, Ron Paul supporters would be happier with McCain than Obama and Hillary who both vowed to raise taxes on everything.
11. Magnum Serpentine | August 1st, 2008 at 10:54 am
Interesting, calling fellow republics, Paul-Bots. how awful. Remember, Ron Paul supporters are Republics also.
A Vote for McSame is a vote for a third term for george.
12. Doug | August 1st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
There really aren’t too many of the ‘Paul-bots’ that are fellow republics, Magnum. Most of them are libertarians or left wing anti-war nut cases. However, in my experience, about a quarter of them are Republicans that would vote republican in most elections. The rest are anti-war liberals and anti-establishment libertarians that probably only vote republican on rare instances when there isn’t a third party candidate out there.
13. The New Conservative | August 1st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I’m going to write about this on my blog sometime tonight. Come check it out.
http://www.thenewconservatives.blogspot.com/