The reason many people like myself are still pushing for Ron Paul right up until the convention is very simple. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have exactly the same viewpoint and voting record on almost every issue.
Michael Snyder
The American Dream Aug 16, 2012
What a depressing choice the American people are being presented with this year. We are at a point in our history where we desperately need a change of direction in the White House, and we are guaranteed that we are not going to get it.
The Democrats are running the worst president in American history, and the Republicans are running a guy who is almost a carbon copy of him. The fact that about half the country is still supporting Barack Obama shows how incredibly stupid and corrupt the American people have become. No American should have ever cast a single vote for Barack Obama for any political office under any circumstances. He should never have even been the assistant superintendent in charge of janitorial supplies, much less the president of the United States. The truth is that Barack Obama has done such a horrible job that he should immediately resign along with his entire cabinet. But instead of giving us a clear choice, the Republicans nominated the Republican that was running that was most similar to Barack Obama. In fact, I don’t think we have ever had two candidates for president that are so similar. Yes, there are a few minor differences between them, but the truth is that we are heading into Obama’s second term no matter which one of them gets elected. The mainstream media makes it sound like Obama and Romney are bitter ideological rivals but that is a giant lie. Yeah, they are slinging lots of mud at each other, but they both play for the same team and the losers are going to be the American people.
Republicans are being told that they have “no choice” but to vote for Romney because otherwise they will get another four years of Obama.
This “lesser of two evils” theme comes out every four years. We are told that we “must” vote for a horrible candidate because the other guy is even worse.
Well, millions of Americans are getting sick of this routine. Perhaps that is why it is being projected that as many as 90 millionAmericans of voting age will not vote this year.
Yes, Barack Obama has been so horrible as president that it is hard to put it into words.
But Mitt Romney would be just like Barack Obama.
Those that are dreaming of a major change in direction if Romney is elected are going to be bitterly, bitterly disappointed.
The following are 40 ways that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are essentially the same candidate….
1. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both supported TARP.
2. Mitt Romney supported Barack Obama’s “economic stimulus” packages.
3. Mitt Romney says that Barack Obama’s bailout of the auto industry was actually his idea.
4. Neither candidate supports immediately balancing the federal budget.
5. They both believe in big government and they both have a track record of being big spenders while in office.
6. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both fully support the Federal Reserve.
7. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both on record as saying that the president should not question the “independence” of the Federal Reserve.
8. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both said that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke did a good job during the last financial crisis.
9. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both felt that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke deserved to be renominated to a second term.
10. Both candidates oppose a full audit of the Federal Reserve.
11. Both candidates are on record as saying that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has done a good job.
12. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both been big promoters of universal health care.
13. Mitt Romney was the one who developed the plan that Obamacare was later based upon.
14. Wall Street absolutely showers both candidates with campaign contributions.
15. Neither candidate wants to eliminate the income tax or the IRS.
16. Both candidates want to keep personal income tax rates at the exact same levels for the vast majority of Americans.
17. Both candidates are “open” to the idea of imposing a Value Added Tax on the American people.
18. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both believe that the TSA is doing a great job.
19. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both supported the NDAA.
20. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both supported the renewal of the Patriot Act.
21. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both believe that the federal government should be able to indefinitely detain American citizens that are considered to be terrorists.
22. Both candidates believe that American citizens suspected of being terrorists can be killed by the president without a trial.
23. Barack Obama has not closed Guantanamo Bay like he promised to do, and Mitt Romney actually wants to double the number of prisoners held there.
24. Both candidates support the practice of “extraordinary rendition”.
25. They both support the job-killing “free trade” agenda of the global elite.
26. They both accuse each other of shipping jobs out of the country and both of them are right.
27. Both candidates are extremely soft on illegal immigration.
28. Neither candidate has any military experience. This is the first time that this has happened in a U.S. election since 1944.
29. Both candidates earned a degree from Harvard University.
30. They both believe in the theory of man-made global warming.
31. Mitt Romney has said that he will support a “cap and trade” carbon tax scheme (like the one Barack Obama wants) as longas the entire globe goes along with it.
32. Both candidates have a very long record of supporting strict gun control measures.
33. Both candidates have been pro-abortion most of their careers. Mitt Romney’s “conversion” to the pro-life cause has been questioned by many. In fact, Mitt Romney has made millions on Bain Capital’s investment in a company called “Stericycle” that incinerates aborted babies collected from family planning clinics.
34. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both believe that the Boy Scout ban on openly gay troop leaders is wrong.
35. They both believe that a “two state solution” will bring lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel.
36. Both candidates have a history of nominating extremely liberal judges.
37. Like Barack Obama, Mitt Romney also plans to add “signing statements” to bills when he signs them into law.
38. They both have a horrible record when it comes to job creation.
39. Both candidates believe that the president has the power to take the country to war without getting the approval of the U.S. Congress.
40. Both candidates plan to continue running up more government debt even though the U.S. government is already 16 trillion dollars in debt.
We cannot see how electing another person to the white house would change anything; if their beliefs and voting records are almost exactly the same as the person they would be replacing.
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But the biggest reason of all, is that Ron Paul still to this day, has enough delegates to make a difference at the convention, and should be allowed to make a speech. If enough of the delagetes, including those for Mitt Romney, switch sides (remember all the delagates are unbound) then there is also a good chance to get Ron Paul the ticket and beat Obama.
With the Republican National Committeefinally conceding the fact that Congressman Ron Paul’s name will indeed be on the ballot at the GOP convention in Tampa this August, the RNC is beginning to warm up to the Paul campaign.
There is no word yet on whether they will offer Paul a speaking slot at the convention, but if the last few days are any sign, chances may be high that Paul will be invited to the convention.
According to a recent USA Today story, the RNC and the Paul campaign “have been working closely over the past few months to work out logistics in order to include the Texas congressman and his supporters in the August convention in Tampa. ‘They’ve just treated us like a friend and like a coalition,’ said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for the Paul campaign. ‘They have been honest brokers in working with us and treated us with respect.'”
This fair treatment of the Paul campaign — and by extension, his supporters — is a welcome change from the treatment that the RNC as well as state and local GOP parties have treated them since the 2012 Iowa Caucus (and even back to 2008). It is by now well known that Paul supporters, obeying the GOP’s own rules at the delegate selection process, have been shunned, ignored, and even strongarmed for their refusal to rubber-stamp Mitt Romney.
Are the RNC and the GOP finally waking up to the significant sized dissent that is their own party? Inviting Paul to speak at the convention will likely answer that question. Only time will tell.
Here are 10 reasons why the Republicans would be foolish not to let Paul speak.
1) Delegates, Delegates, Delegates
From the media’s lack of good reporting to the sometimes confusing rules governing the delegation process, it is nearly impossible to tell exactly how many delegates Ron Paul has that will be headed to Tampa. The campaign admits that they have at least 500, though with alternates and delegates that are technically unbound, Paul could have significantly more than is reported. Even with the most conservative estimates, Paul’s delegates will play a major role at the convention.
Additionally, the Paul delegates could actually select the vice presidential pick if Romney indeed gets selected as the nominee. Much political coverage has been dedicated to the yawning “Veepstakes,” but if the RNC were to actually follow their own rules, Paul could easily be nominated VP.
With this much power, enthusiasm, and grassroots organization, a Paul-less GOP convention might cause some interesting chaos at the convention thanks to the amount of delegates Paul has. The Republicans can’t win without the support and votes of the growing libertarian wing of the party. Without proper respect shown to Paul, they will likely stay home or vote for Libertarian Governor Gary Johnson.
2) Ron Paul Will Not Endorse Mitt Romney
At nearly every debate and mainstream media interview, Paul was asked if he would endorse the eventual Republican nominee. Paul, principled and patiently, always answered in the negative. As of yesterday, he again reiterated that he would not endorse Romney, just like he didn’t endorse or vote for Senator John McCain in 2008. After all, Paul reasons, Romney agrees with little to any that Paul believes in, and an endorsement would be properly seen as a sellout to the GOP that scorns him and to the delegates and organizers that have worked so hard to push Paul this far.
Given that Paul won’t endorse Romney, a speaking nod helps mend that bridge with him and his supporters.
3) A Platform to Ignite the Party
Paul is the intellectual heart of the Tea Party and the libertarian/conservative movement that has ascended in this country in the last few years. Although the Tea Party has unfortunately been co-opted by mainstream Republicans, talking heads, and right-wing radio, Paul’s 2008 presidential run laid the groundwork for a real grassroots movement and puts actual teeth behind the rhetoric many Republicans give only lip service to.
If Paul’s eventual speech at the convention is anything like the hundreds of speeches he gave across the country in the last year, then the GOP won’t know what hit them. In the debates, Paul tended to be interrupted, asked “gotcha” questions, and at one foreign policy debate, was given 89 seconds to speak.
Without rude interruptions and all eyes on him, Paul will finally be able to address a (likely hostile) GOP crowd. And whenever he is given more than 2 minutes to speak, heads start nodding. Fellow PolicyMic columnist Allan Stevo reported that “After Ron Paul spoke in Sparks, Nevada … observers took note of Mitt Romney supporters crumpling up their Romney signs and vowing to vote for Paul. It was the first time many Republican activists had ever heard Paul speak outside of the several minutes of sound bites allotted to him during televised debates.”
Paul is the heart and soul of the grassroots and frustrated GOP, addressing the issue the party refuses to discuss, like ….
4) Actual Cuts in Spending
While the mantra of conservatives and the Republican Party has been “cutting spending” and balancing the budget, their actions haven’t exactly matched their words. Every other GOP candidates’ spendial proposals besides Paul promises to significantly increase spending, deficits, and the national debt. Romney, while uncomfortably posing as some type of fiscal conservative, promises to increase federal spending by trillions.
Paul has been warning about excessive government spending for decades, warning about billion dollar deficits in the 1980s. Now that the deficits are in the trillions, Paul’s message — and budget proposal that would cut $1 trillion and eliminate five cabinet departments — is something that needs to rub off on the Republican Party soon.
5) War and Peace
This is a crucial issue not just for the Republicans to pounce on, but for a broader appeal to the rest of the country as well. A majority of Americans want the U.S. out of Afghanistan and a reduction in foreign military intervention in general. With the Persian Gulf heating up, war in Syria a serious possibility, and President Obama waging war on an unprecedented scale, Paul’s message of peace and non-intervention helps make the GOP an actual alternative to Obama. Unfortunately, Romney doesn’t think Obama is being aggressive enough overseas, and with the possibility Obama and Romney arguing over who is the bigger warmonger, the Republicans miss a key opportunity to appeal to the growing anti-war sentiment in the country as well as cut spending and save American lives.
6) Civil Liberties
Romney has talked so little about civil liberties, I doubt he could even define what they are if asked, let alone why they are important. A Paul speech at the convention would no doubt include a firm defense of the Bill of Rights, opposition to NDAA, Bradley Manning, the PATRIOT Act, opposition to the drug war, and articulate why Republicans should value civil liberties just as much as economic liberties. This would also again be an effective strategy for the GOP to circumvent President Obama’s draconian record on civil liberties.
7) The Fed
With Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill moving forward, now would be the most opportune time to make this a huge part of the convention. Paul’s speeches and rallies are infamous for their “End the Fed!” chants, and an understanding of the follies of central banking go hand in hand with a grasp of real, free market economics. With Paul’s help, the GOP could adopt a strong position on auditing the Federal Reserve and reversing course on decades of terrible monetary policy.
8) The Party Platform
Many libertarians and Paul supporters will scoff with cynicism at the influence that the party platform will have. Perhaps there is an element of truth to that, but in a time where it is becoming easier and easier to hound and hassle elected officials, maybe this method isn’t as hopeless as some might believe. Paul has said he wants to see the GOP adopt as part of the platform moves to audit the Federal Reserve, abolishing the Sixteenth Amendment, protection of civil liberties, etc. If the GOP does let Paul speak and addresses his very valid concerns, this forces the GOP to maybe be a little bit better on these issues than they have been in the past. Or maybe it doesn’t, and more and more people get fed up with party politics as a means for change. Either way, it’s a win-win.
9) Re-thinking Romney
While President Obama and Governor Romney bicker back and forth over tax returns and desperately trying to differentiate themselves from each other, Paul represents a synthesis of what many people already understand: that Romney and Obama are identical on any and every key issue facing America (literally 100 of them). In a similar way to what Allan Stevo reported in the article above, a chance to hear Paul speak may change the minds of people and make them actually vote for him at the convention. Seeing an authentic conservative — interested in conserving classical liberalism — and Paul’s bipartisan appeal could offer Republican voters the real thing and the GOP a political realignment for years to come.
10) Paul Deserves It
And lastly, Ron Paul deserves it. Since 1976, he has been an advocate of limited government, peace, free markets, a sound currency, and civil liberties in every step of his career as congressman, author, and even in his private practice as a doctor. He has given countless speeches on the House floor warning about the economic bubbles caused the Federal Reserve’s inflationary monetary policy and predicting the chaos and bloodshed that would result from whatever country is the fashionable target of the Administration at the time. The least the GOP — who have ignored him for decades — could do is give him 15-20 minutes to help light the last brushfires of the liberty revolution he has been instrumental in starting with a speech that would tear the roof off of the convention.
Here’s hoping the GOP lets him speak! For the sake of the party, and more importantly, the future of the country, Paul needs to be heard loud and clear.
Mitt Romney does not carry enough support with the republicans, and none from the increasing number of libertarians. If Ron Paul is not the republican nominee, Barack Obama will win a second term.
Michael S. Rozeff lewrockwell.com August 16, 2012
Intrade has Obama at 56.7%, down from about 59%. Romney’s more pointed attacks and choice of Ryan have coincided with this decline. Nevertheless, I feel (based on no research except general reading and knowledge) Obama will win. Meanwhile, an excellent case of insider trading can be brought against Paul Ryan. He had what is called “material nonpublic information” and acted upon it. Will the SEC do that? Ha-ha-ha.
Ron Paul was the strongest candidate for the nomination, but the Republicans chose to die instead, wedded to their habits of thought and their ingrained channels of power, influence and money. Paul could have hit Obama very hard by melding the negatives of deficits (and looming breaking of social promises) with useless foreign wars and spending into a positive program of reducing government spending while cutting taxes and taking steps to restructure the social programs and eliminate whole departments. He could have attacked Obama on the TSA and on the FED.
So we will continue the fight for Ron Paul and to restore the constitution, all the way up until the convention, to give the republicans and all the freedom loving people of this country, a chance to beat Obama and restore the republic. God speed to all those Ron Paul supporters heading to the convention, the eyes of the world will be watching you!
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