bobbyw24
02-08-2008, 08:52 AM
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Ron_Paul_Says_Party_is_To/2008/02/08/71166.html
Ron Paul Says Party is Too Like Democrats
Friday, February 8, 2008 8:36 AM
By: Monisha Bansal Article Font Size
Presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) told conservatives gathered here on Thursday that the Republican Party is "acting too much like Democrats," especially the party's frontrunner Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
"We have drifted a long way from the positions we used to hold on limited government," said Paul at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), sponsored by the American Conservative Union.
Paul also said McCain is "the top Republican candidate running for president who is leading the charge" against limited government. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dropped out of the race earlier on Thursday at the same conference.
"If you think he can lead this country back to conservative principles, fiscal soundness, and a decent sized government, you've got another thing coming, because it's not going to happen," he said.
"If we continue to do what we have been doing, we are going to run into a financial crisis," Paul added. "We spend too much money everywhere. The only answer is to be conservative."
"Today we allow big government to grow, whether it's the conservative side or the liberal side," he said. "We are acting too much like Democrats."
Though Paul was greeted by cheering crowds, many political analysts say he is unlikely to get the Republican Party nomination.
"Ron Paul has absolutely no chance of winning the Republican nomination," Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Cybercast News Service.
"He has a fanatical group of libertarians who stand behind him that account for the success he's had against all of the mainstream positions," added Herb London, president of the conservative Hudson Institute.
London told Cybercast News Service that Paul's views on domestic policy, especially his position on limited government, draws supporters, "including those who are fairly mainstream Republican supporters. When it comes to foreign policy his position is similar to Robert Taft's in the 1950s and somewhat inconsistent with present realities."
James Hedtke, chair of the political science department at Cabrini College, said, "It would be best if he got out of the race and cut his losses."
"He demonstrated that he was not able to tap into either the conservative or moderate wings of the Republican Party," Hedtke told Cybercast News Service.
John Fortier, a research fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, noted that Paul is "basically mathematically eliminated."
"There are several delegate counts floating around," he said. "A conservative one from the New York Times does not include some delegates from states like Minnesota and Iowa which held their caucuses, but the final delegate selection occurs at a later date. Even without these delegates, McCain, Romney, and Huckabee have a combined 1078 delegates, and Paul has five. You need 1191 to win.
"But given the delegates that are partially selected and some endorsements by statewide unpledged delegates, there are not enough delegates out there for Paul to get a majority even if he won all that remain," he told Cybercast News Service.
Paul, however, noted that he has been a successful fundraiser, in part because of his opposition to the Iraq war.
"McCain says we should stay there for a hundred years if necessary - I say no way," Paul said. "You cannot be a conservative and believe that we can go to war under the direction of a single person without congressional approval or without a declaration of war."
He disputed that his views place him in opposition to American military forces. "We have raised a lot of money. If you look at where it comes from ... in the last quarter [we] received more money from the military active duty personnel than all of the Republican and Democratic candidates put together."
John Sides, a political science professor at the George Washington University, told Cybercast News Service that Paul "raises surprising amounts of money, because he taps into a committed but small group of people.
"However, many of his views are not in the mainstream of the Republican Party," said Sides. "And he must compete against candidates with far greater name recognition and stature. So, his fundraising success doesn't translate into the support of many Republican voters."
Fortier called Paul's fundraising prowess "impressive" but added that it "has not translated into votes. The places where he has done modestly well have tended to be low turnout caucuses where a small group of dedicated supporters can make a difference. He has fared poorly in broader primary elections."
Mann noted that because Paul ran for president as a libertarian in 1988, there is a chance he could launch a third party challenge, although it would be "unlikely to draw more than 1 or 2 percent of the vote."
"As a third party candidate, Paul would hurt the Republican candidate for president and make the Democratic candidate more electable," added Hedtke.
© 2008 CNSNews.com. All Rights Reserved.
Ron Paul Says Party is Too Like Democrats
Friday, February 8, 2008 8:36 AM
By: Monisha Bansal Article Font Size
Presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) told conservatives gathered here on Thursday that the Republican Party is "acting too much like Democrats," especially the party's frontrunner Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
"We have drifted a long way from the positions we used to hold on limited government," said Paul at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), sponsored by the American Conservative Union.
Paul also said McCain is "the top Republican candidate running for president who is leading the charge" against limited government. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dropped out of the race earlier on Thursday at the same conference.
"If you think he can lead this country back to conservative principles, fiscal soundness, and a decent sized government, you've got another thing coming, because it's not going to happen," he said.
"If we continue to do what we have been doing, we are going to run into a financial crisis," Paul added. "We spend too much money everywhere. The only answer is to be conservative."
"Today we allow big government to grow, whether it's the conservative side or the liberal side," he said. "We are acting too much like Democrats."
Though Paul was greeted by cheering crowds, many political analysts say he is unlikely to get the Republican Party nomination.
"Ron Paul has absolutely no chance of winning the Republican nomination," Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Cybercast News Service.
"He has a fanatical group of libertarians who stand behind him that account for the success he's had against all of the mainstream positions," added Herb London, president of the conservative Hudson Institute.
London told Cybercast News Service that Paul's views on domestic policy, especially his position on limited government, draws supporters, "including those who are fairly mainstream Republican supporters. When it comes to foreign policy his position is similar to Robert Taft's in the 1950s and somewhat inconsistent with present realities."
James Hedtke, chair of the political science department at Cabrini College, said, "It would be best if he got out of the race and cut his losses."
"He demonstrated that he was not able to tap into either the conservative or moderate wings of the Republican Party," Hedtke told Cybercast News Service.
John Fortier, a research fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, noted that Paul is "basically mathematically eliminated."
"There are several delegate counts floating around," he said. "A conservative one from the New York Times does not include some delegates from states like Minnesota and Iowa which held their caucuses, but the final delegate selection occurs at a later date. Even without these delegates, McCain, Romney, and Huckabee have a combined 1078 delegates, and Paul has five. You need 1191 to win.
"But given the delegates that are partially selected and some endorsements by statewide unpledged delegates, there are not enough delegates out there for Paul to get a majority even if he won all that remain," he told Cybercast News Service.
Paul, however, noted that he has been a successful fundraiser, in part because of his opposition to the Iraq war.
"McCain says we should stay there for a hundred years if necessary - I say no way," Paul said. "You cannot be a conservative and believe that we can go to war under the direction of a single person without congressional approval or without a declaration of war."
He disputed that his views place him in opposition to American military forces. "We have raised a lot of money. If you look at where it comes from ... in the last quarter [we] received more money from the military active duty personnel than all of the Republican and Democratic candidates put together."
John Sides, a political science professor at the George Washington University, told Cybercast News Service that Paul "raises surprising amounts of money, because he taps into a committed but small group of people.
"However, many of his views are not in the mainstream of the Republican Party," said Sides. "And he must compete against candidates with far greater name recognition and stature. So, his fundraising success doesn't translate into the support of many Republican voters."
Fortier called Paul's fundraising prowess "impressive" but added that it "has not translated into votes. The places where he has done modestly well have tended to be low turnout caucuses where a small group of dedicated supporters can make a difference. He has fared poorly in broader primary elections."
Mann noted that because Paul ran for president as a libertarian in 1988, there is a chance he could launch a third party challenge, although it would be "unlikely to draw more than 1 or 2 percent of the vote."
"As a third party candidate, Paul would hurt the Republican candidate for president and make the Democratic candidate more electable," added Hedtke.
© 2008 CNSNews.com. All Rights Reserved.