Thursday, December 20, 2007
The perfect choice in a perfect world would be Mike Gravel or Dennis Kucinich. Unfortunately we do not live in such a perfect world. Neither Gravel or Kucinich have been able to make any real inroads in the lead up to the Democratic primaries. They have been deemed "unelectable" and as such it has become a self fulfilling prophecy thus it feels like a lost cause. What will it really prove if Kucinich gets 3% of the vote instead of 2%?
Liberals who fear losing another general election to a neocon Republican have told themselves that they must choose between the "mainstream" candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. The problem with these candidates is they are not true progressives. They are more "politics as usual" and while I think any of them would be a far better choice than Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, John McCain, or Mitt Romney that is not so much because of anything good about the Dem. candidates and more about just how bad the "mainstream" Republican candidates are.
Edwards has become the cause of a lot of liberals who feel that he has at least been talking a bit more in tune with what they believe even if his past actions haven't been so tuneful. One problem is that Edwards is moving to the left this primary season for political reasons, not because he has any real political conviction. Another big problem is that Edwards may be moving to the left but he's still far short of what the left really wants. He talks about bringing home troops from Iraq but he also talks about leaving troops in Iraq. I haven't heard him talk about bringing home our troops from around the world. His foreign policy would certainly be a huge improvement over George Bush's but it falls far short of Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and Ron Paul's stances. They are the ones who are right on foreign policy. Foreign policy is a huge issue. It effects us in so many ways. Not only would Ron Paul's foreign policy save a lot of people's lives it would also save a huge amount of money. If you are an anti-war liberal you have to ask yourself why you are supporting someone like John Edwards or Barack Obama when they are so much weaker on the issue of foreign policy than is Ron Paul.
Civil Liberties is another huge issue among most liberals. Again why would you support someone like John Edwards who voted for the patriot act over Ron Paul who is the ultimate champion for civil liberties? I assume that you smoke (or have smoked) marijuana or you at least know someone who has. Edwards policies make you a CRIMINAL. Why would you support someone who thinks you are a criminal? He will not end the War on Drugs. He will not do anything to legalize marijuana. Edwards, Obama, and Clinton are all horribly weak on civil liberties.
As you may have gathered by now, I'm trying to convince liberals to drop the mainstream Democratic machine and join the Ron Paul revolution.
As a liberal myself I feel like I can hopefully convince others to join me.
I feel like to many liberals the two biggest issues in the world are foreign policy and civil liberties and there has been no candidate as strong as Ron Paul on these issues (who has a real shot at winning) in many many many years. I feel it would be a great mistake for us to bypass this possibility just because we do not agree with Paul on all issues.
One of the great things about what is happening with Ron Paul is that it is opening up debate. It is allowing people who have been controlled for years by hot button issues (both by Republicans and Democrats) to actually think rationally and logically about what is really important.
I want liberal voters to tell me why they are not supporting Ron Paul? Let's open up the dialog! Think about this. We could have a president who really believes in our freedoms! A president who really believes in a non interventionist foreign policy (otherwise known as PEACE.) The mainstream democrats are just more of the same. Our political system is CORRUPT! We cannot change it with a small move to the left. It's time for a real change.
Some issues that may be stopping you (a liberal) from supporting Ron Paul:1. Abortion. The ultimate hot button issue! This has been used by both parties to control your vote for ages. Do you really think this is one of the most important issues facing our country? Yes Ron Paul is pro-life but he is not for federal anti-abortion legislation. He believes strongly in local Government which means in his perfect world each state would make that decision themselves. Yes if this were to happen we may end up with a situation where it's legal in some states and illegal in other states but do you really want to be controlled by that fear? Don't you see how Democrats control by this fear just like Republicans do (but with other issues?) Also consider that W is also pro-life and nothing has changed in the past 8 years. This is a "hot button" issue! We must look past this sort of stuff and look at the big picture. When we are starting unjust wars and losing our civil liberties we cannot continue to be blinded by this nonsense!
2. Health Care. While this is my 3rd biggest issue (after foreign policy and civil liberties) It is a distant 3rd in comparison. I do believe in Dennis Kucinich's plan for single payer health care. But I do not think that Edwards, Clinton's, or Obama's plans are going to be a great improvement over what we have now. If you look at how the health care problem has spiraled out of control you will see that it's only got worse with federal intervention. Also consider that in a Ron Paul world each state would be able to make the decision of having universal health care or not. If some states can show that it works well then perhaps eventually it would spread all over the country.
3. Gun Control. Interesting topic, but really, is this the issue you want to select the next president of the country over? It seems to me that we are allowing ourselves to be controlled when we vote on issues like this.
Liberals: Tell me why I am wrong! Explain to me why I am a traitor to the Democratic party!
I have voted straight Democrat my entire life but if the general election comes down to Ron Paul vs. insert name of politics as usual Democrat here I will vote for Ron Paul.
Let us have the peace and civil liberties that we deserve.Labels: Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Ron Paul
